Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Guangzhou (Canton) Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Guangzhou (Canton)

😐 Solo nomad: Shenzhen is 3.3% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shenzhen is 6.3% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 15.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.18 ¥22.02
$2.86 ¥19.80
11.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.99 ¥194
$21.99 ¥152
27.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.05 ¥34.98
$4.96 ¥34.36
1.81%
Cappuccino
$3.33 ¥23.01
$3.12 ¥21.62
6.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ¥3.39
$0.50 ¥3.45
-2.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ¥2.08
$0.30 ¥2.05
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.28 ¥8.89
$0.93 ¥6.41
37.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 ¥19.47
$1.62 ¥11.21
73.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 ¥12.53
$1.92 ¥13.30
-5.73%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 ¥14.04
$2.01 ¥13.90
1.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 ¥8.46
$1.31 ¥9.05
-6.87%
Eggs
$1.86 ¥12.88
$1.56 ¥10.76
19.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.98 ¥89.8
$18.88 ¥131
-31.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.05 ¥27.99
$4.59 ¥31.76
-11.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.37 ¥92.5
$13.90 ¥96.2
-3.81%
Apples (1kg)
$1.82 ¥12.56
$2.04 ¥14.12
-10.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 ¥10.05
$1.20 ¥8.33
20.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.79 ¥12.36
$2.00 ¥13.87
-10.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 ¥9.34
$1.43 ¥9.91
-5.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 ¥7.33
$0.94 ¥6.49
12.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.43 ¥9.86
$1.08 ¥7.48
32.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 ¥4.81
$0.52 ¥3.61
34.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.19
$0.65 ¥4.47
-6.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 ¥24.79
$3.78 ¥26.15
-5.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ¥92.9
$8.79 ¥60.9
52.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ¥6.08
$1.01 ¥6.98
-12.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 ¥13.23
$1.44 ¥9.96
32.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 ¥2.79
$0.41 ¥2.81
-2.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.87 ¥151
$25.53 ¥177
-14.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.64 ¥11.35
$1.62 ¥11.23
1.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.41
$0.34 ¥2.38
2.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.88 ¥47.63
$6.16 ¥42.64
11.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥8.08
$1.16 ¥8.04
0.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.1K ¥159.6K
$20.6K ¥142.2K
12.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.7K ¥143.4K
$19.8K ¥137.3K
4.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$65.6 ¥454
$61.5 ¥426
6.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.30 ¥57.4
$12.99 ¥89.9
-36.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.03 ¥90.2
$11.40 ¥78.9
14.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.30 ¥341
$42.24 ¥292
16.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.51 ¥121
$13.75 ¥95.2
27.35%
Cinema Ticket
$7.07 ¥48.93
$6.22 ¥43.05
13.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$454 ¥3,143
$314 ¥2,171
44.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.5K ¥141.8K
$16.0K ¥110.6K
28.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.31 ¥334
$40.79 ¥282
18.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.67 ¥212
$28.68 ¥198
6.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 ¥522
$69.2 ¥479
9.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 ¥539
$60.8 ¥421
28.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$755 ¥5,227
$493 ¥3,410
53.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$405 ¥2,801
$273 ¥1,893
47.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,662 ¥11.5K
$1,160 ¥8,030
43.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$903 ¥6,247
$623 ¥4,312
44.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.5K ¥93.4K
$9,036 ¥62.5K
49.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,851 ¥40.5K
$3,539 ¥24.5K
65.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shenzhen
Guangzhou (Canton)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,625 ¥11.2K
$1,411 ¥9,765
15.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
4.08
-0.98%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: March 2, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): March 3, 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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