Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quezon City and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $860 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$860

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $860 per month in Quezon City vs $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Quezon City $860
Shenzhen $1,138

A couple spends around $1,372 per month in Quezon City vs $1,750 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Quezon City $1,372
Shenzhen $1,750

A family of three spends $1,885 per month in Quezon City vs $2,362 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Quezon City $1,885
Shenzhen $2,362

Quezon City is about 24% cheaper than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quezon City and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Quezon City 36% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ₱282

$3.67 ¥24.53

22.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.90 ₱1,190

$29.43 ¥197

-35.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$5.28 ¥35.28

-46.21%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ₱175

$3.27 ¥21.83

-14.68%

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

$0.75 ₱47.41

$0.54 ¥3.63

38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.78

$0.33 ¥2.20

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₱91.6

$1.53 ¥10.23

-5.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₱178

$2.15 ¥14.38

31.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.62 ¥10.85

3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$1.62 ¥10.85

-29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱53.0

$1.09 ¥7.27

-22.94%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$1.71 ¥11.44

2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 ₱421

$21.39 ¥143

-68.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ₱267

$3.45 ¥23.08

22.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 ₱455

$14.25 ¥95.3

-49.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 ₱250

$2.34 ¥15.64

69.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.7

$1.58 ¥10.55

-13.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$1.95 ¥13.03

77.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$1.47 ¥9.85

-23.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$1.08 ¥7.21

117.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 ₱209

$1.25 ¥8.35

165.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₱89.7

$0.59 ¥3.97

140.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$0.59 ¥3.95

64.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱178

$4.41 ¥29.47

-36.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ₱487

$11.73 ¥78.4

-34.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.8

$0.98 ¥6.57

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₱113

$1.75 ¥11.69

2.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₱22.92

$0.63 ¥4.20

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.25 ₱1,212

$22.28 ¥149

-13.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.63

$1.45 ¥9.71

-46.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.22

$0.39 ¥2.60

-46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ₱162

$7.02 ¥46.93

-63.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱74.6

$1.34 ¥8.97

-11.94%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$19.4K ¥129.9K

10.41%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$18.1K ¥121.4K

5.27%

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

$163 ₱10.2K

$65.1 ¥435

149.91%

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

$14.34 ₱903

$10.25 ¥68.5

39.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.17 ₱1,522

$16.17 ¥108

49.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.36 ₱2,415

$48.78 ¥326

-21.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.30 ₱207

$17.24 ¥115

-80.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.01 ₱441

$7.51 ¥50.2

-6.66%

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

$71.8 ₱4,522

$538 ¥3,596

-86.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,491 ₱156.8K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-89.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 ₱2,245

$54.9 ¥367

-35.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.77 ₱1,433

$40.04 ¥268

-43.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₱4,898

$72.4 ¥484

7.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₱4,850

$93.4 ¥624

-17.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$768 ¥5,135

-59.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ₱11.8K

$486 ¥3,248

-61.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₱47.0K

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-62.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ₱33.8K

$869 ¥5,813

-38.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 ₱149.2K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-82.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,425 ₱89.7K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-76.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 ₱27.0K

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-75.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

108.96%

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

Last update for Quezon City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Quezon City

$206 24%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 22.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quezon City

$201 23.4%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 54.5% $110

Accommodation & Living

Quezon City

$187 21.8%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 160% $299

Clothing & Footwear

Quezon City

$96 11.2%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 22.3% $21

Eating Out

Quezon City

$95 11%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 5.3% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Quezon City

$52 6.1%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 21.8% $11

Getting Around

Quezon City

$23 2.6%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 25.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Quezon City versus $768 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 305% higher in Shenzhen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Quezon City versus $29.00 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $251 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

Same time as Quezon City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,936,116

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Quezon City Shenzhen 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Quezon City
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

Quezon City vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 32% more than Quezon City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,290 per month in Quezon City and $1,706 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quezon City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $71.8 per month in Quezon City and $538 in Shenzhen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Shenzhen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quezon City, where all-in costs run around $860, than in Shenzhen at $1,138. In Quezon City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quezon City costs $860 versus $1,138 in Shenzhen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Quezon City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.