Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quanzhou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $809 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$809

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Quanzhou versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Quanzhou $809
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,193 in Quanzhou versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Quanzhou $1,193
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,578 in Quanzhou versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Quanzhou $1,578
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Quanzhou costs roughly 28% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quanzhou 41% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 ¥15.14

$3.66 ¥24.35

-37.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.03 ¥200

$29.39 ¥196

2.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.54

$5.28 ¥35.17

-7.39%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ¥22.24

$3.36 ¥22.34

-0.60%

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

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.58 ¥3.84

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.36 ¥2.37

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 ¥19.77

$1.48 ¥9.82

100.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.32

$2.14 ¥14.26

-13.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.12

$1.54 ¥10.22

-1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 ¥5.56

$1.63 ¥10.84

-48.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.14 ¥7.60

-18.42%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.34

$1.75 ¥11.63

-11.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 ¥49.80

$20.74 ¥138

-63.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.16

$3.41 ¥22.71

-33.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.13 ¥34.15

$14.42 ¥96.0

-64.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$2.25 ¥14.96

-34.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.16

$1.62 ¥10.79

-42.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.94 ¥12.88

-60.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.23

$1.42 ¥9.47

-23.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.08 ¥7.20

-60.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$1.28 ¥8.52

-21.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.17 ¥1.12

$0.60 ¥3.97

-71.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.43

$0.56 ¥3.76

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 ¥21.70

$4.43 ¥29.50

-26.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 ¥50.6

$12.08 ¥80.4

-37.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.92 ¥6.15

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.83 ¥12.15

-27.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.44 ¥2.90

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.35 ¥162

$18.05 ¥120

34.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$1.53 ¥10.15

-23.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ¥2.26

$0.41 ¥2.75

-17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ¥58.6

$7.36 ¥48.98

19.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$1.32 ¥8.77

-5.30%

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

$18.1K ¥120.4K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

-5.90%

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

$15.8K ¥105.1K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

-12.48%

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

$51.8 ¥345

$64.8 ¥431

-20.01%

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

$8.13 ¥54.1

$9.90 ¥65.9

-17.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.28 ¥81.7

$16.40 ¥109

-25.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 ¥372

$48.95 ¥326

14.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.53 ¥123

$16.95 ¥113

9.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ¥39.67

$7.28 ¥48.44

-18.13%

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

$522 ¥3,475

$537 ¥3,572

-2.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ¥79.2K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-51.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.68 ¥138

$55.7 ¥371

-62.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.21 ¥221

$40.56 ¥270

-18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 ¥605

$73.1 ¥486

24.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥639

$93.9 ¥625

2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ¥1,795

$753 ¥5,010

-64.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥1,998

$471 ¥3,132

-36.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ¥3,259

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-73.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ¥2,662

$830 ¥5,525

-51.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,041 ¥20.2K

$13.2K ¥87.8K

-76.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,972 ¥13.1K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-69.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$827 ¥5,504

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-53.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.35

-5.97%

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

Last update for Quanzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quanzhou

$300 37.1%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 56.7% $170

Groceries & Markets

Quanzhou

$137 16.9%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 82% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Quanzhou

$108 13.4%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 9.3% $10

Eating Out

Quanzhou

$95 11.7%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 6.7% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quanzhou

$72 8.9%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 26.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Quanzhou

$68 8.4%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 6.4% $4.4

Getting Around

Quanzhou

$28 3.5%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 17.9% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $270 in Quanzhou and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Quanzhou vs $29 in Shenzhen. Groceries flip the comparison at $137 vs $249, with Quanzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

Same time as Quanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,128,530

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

Quanzhou Shenzhen 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Quanzhou
Shenzhen

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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

Quanzhou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $809 in Quanzhou and $1,117 in Shenzhen, so Quanzhou is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Quanzhou. 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: $270 in Quanzhou versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shenzhen – a meal for two runs $29 versus $30 in Quanzhou. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $809 per month in Quanzhou versus $1,117 in Shenzhen – Quanzhou is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Quanzhou 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 – Quanzhou wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.