Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lhasa and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lhasa 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 Lhasa and in Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Lhasa versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Lhasa $738
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,194 in Lhasa versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Lhasa $1,194
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,649 in Lhasa versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Lhasa $1,649
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Lhasa costs roughly 34% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lhasa 46% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 ¥29.06

$3.66 ¥24.35

19.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.36 ¥202

$29.39 ¥196

3.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 ¥49.11

$5.28 ¥35.17

39.77%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.67

$3.36 ¥22.35

-16.37%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.58 ¥3.84

-25.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.36 ¥2.37

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$1.48 ¥9.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥13.84

$2.14 ¥14.26

-2.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.54 ¥10.23

16.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$1.63 ¥10.84

1.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.73

$1.14 ¥7.60

-11.40%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.54

$1.75 ¥11.63

-9.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 ¥46.59

$20.74 ¥138

-66.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.23

$3.41 ¥22.71

-10.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.2

$14.42 ¥96.0

-22.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.16

$2.25 ¥14.96

-18.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$1.62 ¥10.79

-17.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.41

$1.94 ¥12.88

-19.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.42 ¥9.47

-6.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$1.08 ¥7.20

-35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.34

$1.28 ¥8.52

-25.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$0.60 ¥3.97

-1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.56 ¥3.76

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.58

$4.43 ¥29.50

-13.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$12.08 ¥80.4

-7.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.62

$0.92 ¥6.15

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$1.83 ¥12.15

-12.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$0.44 ¥2.90

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$18.05 ¥120

1.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$1.53 ¥10.15

-3.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.16

$0.41 ¥2.75

-21.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.33 ¥48.81

$7.36 ¥48.98

-0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$1.32 ¥8.77

-0.76%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.2K ¥128.0K

-0.14%

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

$17.7K ¥117.7K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

-2.02%

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

$56.5 ¥376

$64.8 ¥431

-12.75%

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

$8.54 ¥56.8

$9.90 ¥65.9

-13.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$16.40 ¥109

-31.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 ¥282

$48.95 ¥326

-13.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.12 ¥101

$16.95 ¥113

-10.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 ¥42.15

$7.28 ¥48.44

-13.05%

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

$434 ¥2,885

$537 ¥3,572

-19.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ¥118.6K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-26.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 ¥284

$55.7 ¥371

-23.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 ¥222

$40.56 ¥270

-17.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥502

$73.1 ¥486

3.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.4 ¥508

$93.9 ¥625

-18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$287 ¥1,910

$753 ¥5,010

-61.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,256

$471 ¥3,132

-59.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ¥3,978

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-67.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,482

$830 ¥5,525

-55.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,221 ¥21.4K

$13.2K ¥87.8K

-75.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,933 ¥12.9K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-70.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,079 ¥13.8K

$1,763 ¥11.7K

17.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.35

0.30%

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

Last update for Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lhasa

$189 25.6%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 149% $282

Groceries & Markets

Lhasa

$188 25.5%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 32.5% $61

Eating Out

Lhasa

$105 14.3%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 4.2% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lhasa

$103 13.9%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 15.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lhasa

$76 10.3%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 19.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lhasa

$55 7.5%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 15.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Lhasa

$23 3.1%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 3.5% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $287 in Lhasa and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30 in Lhasa vs $29 in Shenzhen. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $249, with Lhasa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

Same time as Lhasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

867,891

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

Lhasa Shenzhen 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lhasa
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

Lhasa vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $738 in Lhasa and $1,117 in Shenzhen, so Lhasa is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Lhasa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $287 in Lhasa versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Lhasa 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 Shenzhen – a meal for two runs $29 versus $30 in Lhasa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Lhasa 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.