Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Shenzhen vs $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Shenzhen $1,138
Guangzhou (Canton) $924

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,433 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Shenzhen $1,750
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433

A family of three spends $2,362 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,942 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Shenzhen $2,362
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,942

Shenzhen costs about 23% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Shenzhen and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 16% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.50

$3.01 ¥20.12

21.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$30.30 ¥202

-2.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.23

$5.08 ¥33.89

3.94%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.80

$3.11 ¥20.74

5.14%

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

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.53 ¥3.57

1.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.36 ¥2.41

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$1.38 ¥9.21

10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.35

$2.61 ¥17.44

-17.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.83

$1.80 ¥12.03

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.83

$1.88 ¥12.58

-13.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.26

$1.15 ¥7.67

-5.22%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.42

$1.52 ¥10.13

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$16.43 ¥110

30.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.05

$5.20 ¥34.73

-33.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.1

$12.31 ¥82.2

15.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.62

$2.22 ¥14.84

5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.53

$1.24 ¥8.26

27.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.44 ¥9.61

35.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.72 ¥11.47

-14.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.99 ¥6.62

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.23 ¥8.20

1.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.79 ¥5.28

-25.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.65 ¥4.33

-9.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.43

$3.71 ¥24.80

18.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.3

$10.53 ¥70.3

11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.56

$1.02 ¥6.83

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.91 ¥12.76

-8.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.43 ¥2.86

46.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$22.03 ¥147

1.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.70

$1.82 ¥12.18

-20.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.41 ¥2.71

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.86

$7.01 ¥46.83

0.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.38 ¥9.23

-2.90%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

1.17%

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

$18.1K ¥121.2K

$17.9K ¥119.2K

1.65%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$61.5 ¥411

5.87%

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

$10.25 ¥68.4

$16.36 ¥109

-37.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$14.69 ¥98.1

10.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$70.1 ¥468

-30.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$12.38 ¥82.7

39.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$6.61 ¥44.15

13.62%

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

$538 ¥3,591

$1,506 ¥10.1K

-64.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥161.9K

$24.1K ¥160.8K

0.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$49.95 ¥334

9.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥267

$41.83 ¥279

-4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$83.3 ¥556

-13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$71.3 ¥476

31.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,128

$539 ¥3,597

42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,243

$278 ¥1,855

74.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.2K

$1,321 ¥8,820

50.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,805

$466 ¥3,109

86.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥91.9K

$8,749 ¥58.4K

57.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.7K

$3,420 ¥22.8K

78.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$1,280 ¥8,546

35.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.38

-0.89%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$278 30.1% 42.8% $208

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$239 25.9% 4.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$111 12% 5.5% $6.5

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$92 10% 7.5% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10% 1.1% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$83 9% 30.5% $19

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3% 2.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Shenzhen versus $539 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 36% higher in Shenzhen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Shenzhen versus $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Shenzhen vs $239 in Guangzhou (Canton) – so Guangzhou (Canton) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

14,043,500

💱 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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen, $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,706 per month in Shenzhen and $1,385 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,138 in Shenzhen and $924 in Guangzhou (Canton). That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Shenzhen at $1,138. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Guangzhou (Canton). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.