Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Chaozhou

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 Chaozhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $642 in Chaozhou.

Shenzhen $1,131
Chaozhou $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,047 in Chaozhou.

Shenzhen $1,741
Chaozhou $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,451 in Chaozhou.

Shenzhen $2,352
Chaozhou $1,451

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 76% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Chaozhou 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.26 ¥15.10

65.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$23.63 ¥158

26.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$3.54 ¥23.65

51.41%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$1.52 ¥10.18

123.03%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.49 ¥3.29

12.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.93

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.17 ¥7.83

25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.87 ¥19.20

-24.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.52 ¥10.19

4.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.48 ¥9.88

10.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.73 ¥4.87

56.16%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.16 ¥7.74

53.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$9.61 ¥64.2

121.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$2.52 ¥16.85

36.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.99 ¥80.1

22.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.20 ¥14.74

1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$0.94 ¥6.29

71.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$0.92 ¥6.16

105.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.76 ¥11.77

-19.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.62 ¥4.15

67.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.47 ¥3.15

165.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.43 ¥2.88

30.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.31 ¥2.08

96.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$2.95 ¥19.76

48.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$11.03 ¥73.8

6.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.72 ¥4.84

36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.17 ¥7.84

56.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.92

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.02 ¥121

25.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.00 ¥6.71

52.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.29 ¥1.91

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$7.03 ¥47.02

-0.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.24 ¥8.26

8.87%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

2.15%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.7K ¥118.1K

1.42%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$43.79 ¥293

43.32%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$4.32 ¥28.86

137.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.32 ¥75.7

44.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$41.24 ¥276

20.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$15.04 ¥101

15.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.36 ¥42.53

20.13%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$483 ¥3,231

8.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$24.7K ¥165.0K

-0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$13.41 ¥89.7

311.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$28.46 ¥190

40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$88.1 ¥589

-17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$60.0 ¥401

54.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$300 ¥2,003

157.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$179 ¥1,200

166.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$624 ¥4,169

218.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$376 ¥2,513

126.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,524 ¥23.6K

287.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,951 ¥13.0K

208.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$490 ¥3,279

257.12%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 62.4% $298

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 28.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 27% $32

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 39.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 33.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 16.7% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 23.6% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $300 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 257% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $24.00 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $180 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,568,387

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Chaozhou differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($1,131 vs $642 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 257% 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $300 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $483 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.