Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Chengdu Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Chengdu

😐 Solo nomad: Shenzhen is 18.8% more expensive than Chengdu without rent, and 50.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shenzhen is 18.7% more expensive than Chengdu without rent, and 54.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.27 ¥22.83

$2.85 ¥19.95

14.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.04 ¥196

$23.68 ¥166

18.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 ¥35.45

$4.78 ¥33.44

6.07%

Cappuccino

$3.18 ¥22.22

$2.86 ¥20.00

11.19%

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

$0.51 ¥3.60

$0.43 ¥3.03

18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.96

$0.30 ¥2.11

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 ¥8.87

$1.14 ¥7.96

11.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥19.21

$2.15 ¥15.01

27.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥12.53

$1.76 ¥12.30

1.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥14.30

$1.45 ¥10.17

41.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.58

$0.90 ¥6.29

36.67%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥12.87

$1.87 ¥13.10

-1.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.95 ¥90.5

$13.71 ¥95.8

-5.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ¥28.43

$3.65 ¥25.52

11.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.38 ¥93.5

$11.15 ¥77.9

20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.65

$1.86 ¥12.99

-2.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.88

$1.23 ¥8.56

14.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 ¥12.20

$1.52 ¥10.64

14.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 ¥9.39

$1.02 ¥7.16

31.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.36

$0.67 ¥4.66

56.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.89

$0.71 ¥4.95

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.23

$0.61 ¥4.25

22.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.98

$0.60 ¥4.20

-5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥24.06

$3.43 ¥23.99

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 ¥94.1

$7.29 ¥51.0

84.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.61

$0.93 ¥6.50

2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.90

$1.81 ¥12.67

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥3.07

$0.40 ¥2.79

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.17 ¥155

$27.33 ¥191

-18.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ¥11.39

$1.22 ¥8.56

33.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ¥2.39

$0.28 ¥1.97

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.91 ¥48.28

$4.29 ¥29.97

61.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥8.27

$1.12 ¥7.86

5.36%

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

$23.3K ¥162.8K

$18.4K ¥128.9K

26.35%

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

$20.7K ¥144.7K

$16.6K ¥115.7K

25.11%

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

$67.2 ¥470

$44.46 ¥311

51.15%

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

$8.23 ¥57.5

$11.65 ¥81.5

-29.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.94 ¥90.4

$11.49 ¥80.3

12.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.27 ¥344

$24.50 ¥171

101.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.48 ¥122

$11.27 ¥78.8

55.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 ¥48.27

$5.58 ¥39.02

23.84%

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

$462 ¥3,231

$339 ¥2,367

36.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K ¥146.1K

$12.3K ¥86.2K

69.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.87 ¥342

$37.09 ¥259

31.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.17 ¥211

$38.29 ¥268

-21.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥538

$65.6 ¥458

17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.5 ¥563

$50.5 ¥353

59.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 ¥5,186

$316 ¥2,210

134.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,839

$179 ¥1,253

126.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 ¥11.6K

$611 ¥4,269

170.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 ¥6,301

$334 ¥2,332

170.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥94.0K

$3,998 ¥27.9K

236.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,966 ¥41.7K

$2,015 ¥14.1K

196.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 ¥11.1K

$1,110 ¥7,756

43.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.21

-4.04%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: January 13, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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