Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Changsha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $783 in Changsha.

Shenzhen $1,117
Changsha $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,282 in Changsha.

Shenzhen $1,714
Changsha $1,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,780 in Changsha.

Shenzhen $2,310
Changsha $1,780

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 43% more expensive than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Changsha 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$2.96 ¥19.66

23.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$22.41 ¥149

31.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$4.90 ¥32.55

7.76%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$3.34 ¥22.20

0.60%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.51 ¥3.38

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.27 ¥1.81

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$1.24 ¥8.23

19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.90 ¥12.59

12.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.97 ¥13.07

-21.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$2.37 ¥15.75

-31.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.94 ¥6.27

21.28%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.72 ¥11.43

1.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$12.99 ¥86.3

59.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$4.10 ¥27.27

-16.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$11.65 ¥77.4

23.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$2.84 ¥18.88

-20.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.39 ¥9.26

16.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.93 ¥12.81

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$2.02 ¥13.44

-29.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.96 ¥6.38

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.66 ¥11.02

-22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.65 ¥4.33

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.49 ¥3.27

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$2.92 ¥19.38

51.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$12.72 ¥84.5

-5.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.03 ¥6.85

-10.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$1.54 ¥10.25

18.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.35 ¥2.34

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$14.75 ¥98.0

22.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.48 ¥9.81

3.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.31 ¥2.09

32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$4.56 ¥30.27

61.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.26 ¥8.39

4.76%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.9K ¥131.9K

-3.17%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$17.8K ¥118.4K

1.27%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$56.1 ¥373

15.43%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$9.08 ¥60.3

9.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$13.61 ¥90.4

20.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$54.8 ¥364

-10.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$24.80 ¥165

-31.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$6.54 ¥43.48

11.31%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$326 ¥2,169

64.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$17.2K ¥114.1K

42.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$84.4 ¥561

-33.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$34.62 ¥230

17.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$90.0 ¥598

-18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$61.2 ¥406

53.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$266 ¥1,769

182.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$167 ¥1,109

181.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$559 ¥3,716

230.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$381 ¥2,532

117.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$2,482 ¥16.5K

431.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,414 ¥9,399

358.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,104 ¥7,337

59.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.46

-3.18%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Changsha

$167 21.3% 64.5% $304

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Changsha

$237 30.3% 4.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Changsha

$122 15.5% 2.6% $3.1

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Changsha

$92 11.7% 9.2% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Changsha

$79 10.1% 13.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 6.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 17.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $266 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Changsha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $237 per month, with Changsha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

5,289,000

💱 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

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Shenzhen Changsha 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Shenzhen vs Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $783 in Changsha, so Changsha is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Shenzhen, 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $266 in Changsha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Shenzhen versus $783 in Changsha – Changsha is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Changsha 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.

Expats usually find Changsha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.