Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Guizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Guizhou: $603 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Guizhou
Learn more

Guizhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Guizhou

🇨🇳 China

$603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Guizhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $603 in Guizhou.

Shenzhen $1,117
Guizhou $603

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $972 in Guizhou.

Shenzhen $1,714
Guizhou $972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,340 in Guizhou.

Shenzhen $2,310
Guizhou $1,340

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 85% more expensive than in Guizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Guizhou 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.68 ¥17.82

36.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$21.33 ¥142

37.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.16

$5.59 ¥37.20

-5.55%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.80 ¥18.63

20.00%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.10

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.25 ¥1.65

44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.77 ¥5.11

92.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$1.83 ¥12.19

16.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.84 ¥12.26

-16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.79 ¥11.92

-8.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.80 ¥5.35

42.50%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.91 ¥12.70

-8.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$7.69 ¥51.2

169.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$4.77 ¥31.77

-28.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$10.93 ¥72.8

31.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$2.09 ¥13.93

7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.61 ¥10.71

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.52 ¥10.14

27.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.43 ¥9.51

-0.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.68 ¥4.54

58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.78 ¥5.19

64.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.36 ¥2.37

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.54 ¥3.59

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$2.95 ¥19.60

50.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$7.58 ¥50.4

59.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.80 ¥5.29

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.18 ¥7.86

55.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.38 ¥2.54

15.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$27.31 ¥182

-33.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.48 ¥9.87

3.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.29 ¥1.91

41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.97

$5.13 ¥34.13

43.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.26 ¥8.38

4.76%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$18.4K ¥122.7K

4.25%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$16.3K ¥108.3K

10.92%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$29.56 ¥197

119.11%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$6.40 ¥42.61

54.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$6.06 ¥40.34

170.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$22.89 ¥152

113.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$11.89 ¥79.1

42.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$7.65 ¥50.9

-4.84%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$251 ¥1,671

113.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$11.4K ¥75.6K

114.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$33.71 ¥224

65.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$22.38 ¥149

81.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$73.7 ¥490

-0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$42.86 ¥285

118.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,009

$266 ¥1,768

183.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$138 ¥917

241.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$387 ¥2,575

377.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,524

$244 ¥1,625

240.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.7K

$1,815 ¥12.1K

626.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,090 ¥7,253

494.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$698 ¥4,643

152.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.4

-1.47%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Guizhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Guizhou

$138 22.9% 70.7% $333

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Guizhou

$193 32.1% 22.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Guizhou

$78 12.9% 34.4% $41

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Guizhou

$82 13.6% 18.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Guizhou

$42 7% 53.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Guizhou

$38 6.3% 39.9% $25

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Guizhou

$32 5.3% 35.8% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $266 in Guizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $21 in Guizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $193 per month, with Guizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Guizhou

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Guizhou 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Guizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guizhou is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $266 in Guizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shenzhen runs roughly 34% less than in Guizhou. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $251 in Guizhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $603 in Guizhou versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guizhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Guizhou 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.

It comes down to priorities – Guizhou wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.