Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Korla and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Korla: $650 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Korla
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Korla Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Korla

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Korla and in Shenzhen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Korla and in Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $650 in Korla versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Korla $650
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Korla versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Korla $1,046
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,442 in Korla versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Korla $1,442
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Korla costs roughly 42% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Korla 52% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.42

$3.66 ¥24.39

-16.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.36 ¥109

$29.39 ¥196

-44.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥34.19

$5.28 ¥35.22

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$2.87 ¥19.11

$3.36 ¥22.38

-14.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.58 ¥3.85

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$0.36 ¥2.37

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$1.48 ¥9.84

-40.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$2.14 ¥14.28

-31.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.54 ¥10.24

-16.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$1.63 ¥10.86

-44.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.14 ¥7.61

-41.23%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.22

$1.75 ¥11.65

-12.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 ¥41.03

$20.74 ¥138

-70.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.48 ¥16.53

$3.41 ¥22.75

-27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 ¥65.5

$14.42 ¥96.1

-31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.58

$2.25 ¥14.99

-9.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$1.62 ¥10.80

-21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.94 ¥12.90

-5.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.84

$1.42 ¥9.48

-48.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$1.08 ¥7.22

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$1.28 ¥8.53

-52.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 ¥3.35

$0.60 ¥3.98

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.22

$0.56 ¥3.76

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.18

$4.43 ¥29.55

-31.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 ¥70.5

$12.08 ¥80.6

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$0.92 ¥6.16

23.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.83 ¥12.17

-19.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$0.44 ¥2.91

-40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.22 ¥121

$18.05 ¥120

0.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ¥8.91

$1.53 ¥10.17

-12.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.41 ¥2.75

-48.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.63 ¥50.9

$7.36 ¥49.06

3.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$1.32 ¥8.79

-9.85%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$18.2K ¥121.6K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

-5.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$14.1K ¥94.0K

$18.0K ¥120.3K

-21.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$68.2 ¥454

$64.8 ¥432

5.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$5.25 ¥34.99

$9.90 ¥66.0

-46.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.36 ¥75.7

$16.40 ¥109

-30.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.34 ¥262

$48.95 ¥326

-19.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.56 ¥90.4

$16.95 ¥113

-20.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ¥34.82

$7.28 ¥48.52

-28.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,079

$537 ¥3,578

-69.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,078 ¥60.5K

$24.4K ¥162.7K

-62.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 ¥120

$55.7 ¥372

-67.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.97 ¥146

$40.56 ¥270

-45.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 ¥697

$73.1 ¥487

43.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.96 ¥300

$93.9 ¥626

-52.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ¥1,795

$753 ¥5,018

-64.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ¥1,093

$471 ¥3,137

-65.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 ¥4,334

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-64.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥2,596

$830 ¥5,534

-53.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,961 ¥19.7K

$13.2K ¥87.9K

-77.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,938 ¥12.9K

$6,479 ¥43.2K

-70.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 ¥4,997

$1,763 ¥11.8K

-57.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

3.35

1.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Korla: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Korla

$164 25.2%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 187% $307

Groceries & Markets

Korla

$160 24.7%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 55.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Korla

$85 13.1%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 38.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Korla

$85 13%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 7.4% $6.3

Eating Out

Korla

$85 13%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 19.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Korla

$50 7.7%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 27.6% $14

Getting Around

Korla

$22 3.3%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in Korla and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Korla vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $249 per month, with Korla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Korla

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

2 h ahead of Korla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

779,352

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Korla Shenzhen 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Korla
Shenzhen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Korla vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Korla wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Korla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Korla. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $269 in Korla versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $162 in Korla versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Korla – a meal for two runs $16 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $650 in Korla versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Korla but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Korla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Korla is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Korla wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.