Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $815 in Dongguan.

Shenzhen $1,131
Dongguan $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,295 in Dongguan.

Shenzhen $1,741
Dongguan $1,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,775 in Dongguan.

Shenzhen $2,352
Dongguan $1,775

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 39% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Dongguan 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.64 ¥17.64

41.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$22.83 ¥153

31.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.20 ¥34.75

3.08%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.61 ¥17.44

29.89%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.48 ¥3.18

14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.31 ¥2.09

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.88 ¥5.90

67.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.23 ¥14.88

-2.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.59 ¥10.61

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.63 ¥10.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.97 ¥6.50

17.53%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.59 ¥10.66

11.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$21.14 ¥141

0.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.28 ¥21.96

5.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$14.27 ¥95.4

2.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.25 ¥15.03

-0.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.56 ¥10.45

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.85 ¥12.39

2.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.49 ¥9.98

-5.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.24 ¥8.30

0.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.56 ¥3.75

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.58 ¥3.90

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$4.45 ¥29.79

-1.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$12.18 ¥81.5

-3.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.92 ¥6.17

6.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.76 ¥11.74

3.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.35 ¥2.37

62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$22.38 ¥150

0.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.18 ¥7.86

28.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.41 ¥2.75

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$4.44 ¥29.68

57.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.31 ¥8.77

3.05%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

2.60%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

1.55%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$63.1 ¥422

-0.46%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$9.11 ¥60.9

12.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$12.96 ¥86.7

26.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$51.6 ¥345

-4.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$16.09 ¥108

7.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$7.53 ¥50.3

1.46%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$531 ¥3,550

-0.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$24.3K ¥162.8K

0.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$46.78 ¥313

17.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$40.30 ¥269

-0.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$72.5 ¥485

-0.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$39.04 ¥261

137.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$380 ¥2,538

103.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$219 ¥1,461

118.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$662 ¥4,423

199.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$431 ¥2,884

97.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$5,650 ¥37.8K

141.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$3,075 ¥20.6K

95.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$856 ¥5,725

104.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Dongguan

$219 26.8% 54.3% $259

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Dongguan

$248 30.4% 1.4% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Dongguan

$89 11% 23.6% $28

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Dongguan

$80 9.8% 21.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Dongguan

$85 10.5% 4.7% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Dongguan

$67 8.2% 2.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 4.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $380 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 105% 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 $23.00 in Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $248 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

8,254,100

💱 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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 105% 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 $380 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 1% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $531 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.