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

😐 Solo nomad: Shenzhen is 4.4% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 20.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Shenzhen is 5.8% more expensive than Guangzhou (Canton) without rent, and 17.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.12 ¥21.37

$2.81 ¥19.23

11.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.87 ¥191

$22.12 ¥151

25.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥35.22

$4.96 ¥33.94

3.83%

Cappuccino

$3.17 ¥21.70

$3.02 ¥20.69

4.97%

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

$0.52 ¥3.59

$0.46 ¥3.15

13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.06

$0.30 ¥2.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 ¥8.72

$0.92 ¥6.32

38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ¥19.29

$1.62 ¥11.09

74.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 ¥12.49

$1.97 ¥13.49

-7.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥13.28

$2.10 ¥14.38

-7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 ¥8.04

$1.23 ¥8.44

-4.07%

Eggs

$1.87 ¥12.78

$1.58 ¥10.83

18.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 ¥87.6

$19.09 ¥131

-32.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 ¥26.39

$4.54 ¥31.05

-14.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.49 ¥92.3

$14.28 ¥97.7

-5.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ¥12.51

$2.13 ¥14.54

-14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.70

$1.21 ¥8.30

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.84

$2.01 ¥13.72

-13.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.51

$1.48 ¥10.09

-6.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.26

$0.94 ¥6.41

12.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.71

$1.04 ¥7.11

36.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.72

$0.51 ¥3.51

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ¥23.10

$3.91 ¥26.75

-13.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.51 ¥99.3

$8.98 ¥61.4

61.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.33

$0.98 ¥6.74

-5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥12.69

$1.39 ¥9.51

33.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥3.01

$0.43 ¥2.94

2.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ¥153

$24.93 ¥171

-10.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 ¥11.21

$1.65 ¥11.28

-0.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.38

$0.37 ¥2.54

-5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 ¥46.86

$6.11 ¥41.78

12.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.75

$1.12 ¥7.68

0.89%

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

$22.7K ¥155.6K

$20.6K ¥140.9K

10.41%

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

$20.7K ¥141.4K

$19.5K ¥133.4K

5.96%

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

$67.5 ¥461

$59.8 ¥409

12.74%

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

$8.23 ¥56.3

$13.06 ¥89.3

-36.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.77 ¥87.4

$11.50 ¥78.7

11.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 ¥341

$40.73 ¥279

22.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.30 ¥118

$14.04 ¥96.0

23.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.13 ¥48.77

$6.49 ¥44.40

9.86%

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

$454 ¥3,104

$315 ¥2,151

44.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K ¥138.8K

$15.8K ¥107.8K

28.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.09 ¥329

$41.01 ¥281

17.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.71 ¥210

$28.29 ¥194

8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 ¥526

$69.8 ¥477

10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 ¥538

$62.0 ¥424

26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 ¥4,980

$487 ¥3,334

49.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥2,751

$265 ¥1,815

51.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 ¥11.5K

$1,154 ¥7,895

45.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$927 ¥6,338

$627 ¥4,286

47.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.3K ¥90.8K

$8,782 ¥60.1K

51.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,100 ¥41.7K

$3,561 ¥24.4K

71.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,640 ¥11.2K

$1,391 ¥9,514

17.94%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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