Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $655 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
Learn more

Guilin Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Guilin

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

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Shenzhen vs $655 in Guilin, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,117
Guilin $655

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,046 in Guilin, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,714
Guilin $1,046

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,436 in Guilin, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Guilin $1,436

Shenzhen costs about 70% more than Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Guilin are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 18% lower, Guilin 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.28

$2.21 ¥14.67

65.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$15.11 ¥100

94.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.07

$3.02 ¥20.02

74.83%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.28

$2.07 ¥13.71

62.32%

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

$0.58 ¥3.83

$0.40 ¥2.65

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.36

$0.31 ¥2.08

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.79

$0.83 ¥5.53

78.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.22

$2.14 ¥14.21

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.20

$1.48 ¥9.79

4.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.81

$1.30 ¥8.62

25.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$0.63 ¥4.18

80.95%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.60

$1.76 ¥11.67

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.08 ¥86.8

58.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.65

$3.29 ¥21.83

3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.7

$11.43 ¥75.9

26.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.92

$1.51 ¥10.04

49.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.76

$1.21 ¥8.04

33.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.85

$1.06 ¥7.04

83.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$0.92 ¥6.09

54.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$0.71 ¥4.69

52.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.50

$0.90 ¥5.99

42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.56 ¥3.75

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.43 ¥2.86

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.42

$3.84 ¥25.50

15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.2

$10.65 ¥70.7

13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.86 ¥5.71

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.12

$1.53 ¥10.14

19.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.89

$0.29 ¥1.92

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$17.76 ¥118

1.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.13

$1.38 ¥9.17

10.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.31 ¥2.06

32.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.84

$8.12 ¥53.9

-9.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.75

$1.17 ¥7.76

12.82%

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

$19.2K ¥127.6K

$19.5K ¥129.2K

-1.24%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$18.0K ¥119.3K

0.35%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$24.16 ¥160

168.09%

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

$9.90 ¥65.7

$5.06 ¥33.59

95.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$11.06 ¥73.4

48.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$41.98 ¥279

16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥112

$14.59 ¥96.8

16.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.31

$5.12 ¥34.00

42.19%

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

$537 ¥3,563

$468 ¥3,107

14.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.0K

$18.8K ¥124.6K

29.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$42.25 ¥280

31.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥269

$32.05 ¥213

26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$75.2 ¥499

-2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥623

$75.0 ¥498

25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥4,996

$281 ¥1,868

167.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,124

$186 ¥1,234

153.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$597 ¥3,962

209.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,510

$362 ¥2,399

129.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.5K

$1,368 ¥9,079

863.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.0K

$1,942 ¥12.9K

233.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$485 ¥3,217

263.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Guilin

$186 28.4% 60.5% $285

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Guilin

$191 29.1% 23.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Guilin

$101 15.4% 14.7% $17

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Guilin

$63 9.6% 37.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Guilin

$40 6.2% 55.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Guilin

$52 8% 17.8% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Guilin

$22 3.3% 6.5% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Shenzhen versus $281 in Guilin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen versus $15 in Guilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $191 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,931,137

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shenzhen vs Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shenzhen is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,675 per month in Shenzhen and $983 in Guilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guilin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $281 there versus $753 in Shenzhen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen and $15 in Guilin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Shenzhen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guilin, where all-in costs run around $655, than in Shenzhen at $1,117. In Guilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guilin – 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 Guilin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.