Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Shenzhen Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Shenzhen

🙂 Solo nomad: Shantou is 1.4% cheaper than Shenzhen without rent, and 32.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shantou is 5% cheaper than Shenzhen without rent, and 36.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ¥14.57
$3.17 ¥22.75
-35.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.4 ¥118
$27.46 ¥197
-40.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.89 ¥35.11
$4.92 ¥35.32
-0.61%
Cappuccino
$3.12 ¥22.41
$3.19 ¥22.91
-2.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ¥3.41
$0.51 ¥3.69
-5.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.3 ¥2.18
$0.28 ¥1.98
7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.86 ¥6.18
$1.21 ¥8.7
-28.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 ¥18.47
$2.71 ¥19.42
-5.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 ¥12.18
$1.79 ¥12.87
-5.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ¥10.12
$2.05 ¥14.69
-31.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.68 ¥4.89
$1.22 ¥8.75
-44.26%
Eggs
$1.86 ¥13.35
$1.87 ¥13.4
-0.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.55 ¥90
$12.74 ¥91.4
-1.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 ¥27.1
$3.84 ¥27.55
-1.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 ¥85.7
$13.46 ¥96.6
-11.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.85 ¥13.31
$1.82 ¥13.06
1.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 ¥10.49
$1.47 ¥10.56
-0.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.68 ¥12.07
$1.82 ¥13.03
-7.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ¥9.11
$1.4 ¥10.01
-9.29%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.46
$1.09 ¥7.85
-30.28%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.67
$1.45 ¥10.43
-35.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ¥4.81
$0.74 ¥5.33
-9.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.4 ¥2.87
$0.61 ¥4.35
-34.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.41 ¥24.44
$3.4 ¥24.37
0.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.46 ¥82.2
$12.61 ¥90.5
-9.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ¥5.94
$0.9 ¥6.43
-7.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.9 ¥13.65
$1.9 ¥13.66
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 ¥2.59
$0.43 ¥3.09
-16.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.16 ¥159
$22.34 ¥160
-0.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ¥10.83
$1.71 ¥12.3
-11.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.51
$0.35 ¥2.5
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.61 ¥47.39
$6.74 ¥48.33
-1.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.1 ¥7.89
$1.12 ¥8.04
-1.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K ¥149.3K
$23.1K ¥165.8K
-9.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ¥139.4K
$20.2K ¥145.2K
-3.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.4 ¥390
$67.1 ¥482
-19.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.14 ¥58.4
$8.16 ¥58.6
-0.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.9 ¥92.6
$12.86 ¥92.2
0.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.68 ¥299
$50.3 ¥361
-17.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.17 ¥102
$17.3 ¥124
-18.09%
Cinema Ticket
$6.86 ¥49.2
$7.1 ¥50.9
-3.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$460 ¥3,303
$455 ¥3,267
1.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.8K ¥148.8K
$20.6K ¥147.8K
0.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.35 ¥347
$49.43 ¥355
-2.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.35 ¥218
$30.29 ¥217
0.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76 ¥545
$74.9 ¥537
1.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.7 ¥557
$77.8 ¥558
-0.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$283 ¥2,029
$728 ¥5,220
-61.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$137 ¥982
$406 ¥2,915
-66.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$548 ¥3,932
$1,702 ¥12.2K
-67.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$284 ¥2,038
$907 ¥6,505
-68.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,102 ¥15.1K
$12.4K ¥88.6K
-82.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,210 ¥23K
$5,786 ¥41.5K
-44.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shantou
Shenzhen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$994 ¥7,127
$1,702 ¥12.2K
-41.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
4.04
-

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

Last update for Shantou: October 27, 2025

Last update for Shenzhen: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.