Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Hangzhou: $985 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shenzhen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Hangzhou

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

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Shenzhen vs $985 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,117
Hangzhou $985

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,533 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,714
Hangzhou $1,533

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $2,080 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Hangzhou $2,080

Shenzhen costs about 13% more than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 18% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$3.73 ¥24.81

-1.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$26.03 ¥173

12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.16

$4.68 ¥31.14

12.82%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$3.48 ¥23.18

-3.45%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.61 ¥4.05

-4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.33 ¥2.20

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.22 ¥8.08

21.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.23 ¥14.82

-4.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.84 ¥12.22

-16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.61 ¥10.72

1.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.10 ¥7.33

3.64%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$2.11 ¥14.01

-17.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$19.06 ¥127

8.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.74 ¥24.90

-8.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$10.29 ¥68.5

40.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$2.32 ¥15.44

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.34 ¥8.93

20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.52 ¥10.11

27.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.53 ¥10.19

-7.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.94 ¥6.23

14.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.94 ¥6.27

36.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.63 ¥4.18

-4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.55 ¥3.65

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$4.02 ¥26.76

10.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$13.38 ¥89.0

-9.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.77 ¥5.12

19.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.65 ¥10.98

10.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.47 ¥3.13

-6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$17.73 ¥118

1.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.96 ¥13.05

-21.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.38 ¥2.55

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.97

$6.98 ¥46.47

5.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.32 ¥8.75

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

-2.54%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$18.4K ¥122.3K

-1.84%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$48.04 ¥320

34.83%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$10.04 ¥66.8

-1.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$15.02 ¥100.0

9.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$52.8 ¥351

-7.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$20.00 ¥133

-15.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$7.55 ¥50.2

-3.58%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$577 ¥3,836

-6.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$35.8K ¥238.1K

-31.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$60.2 ¥401

-7.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$42.24 ¥281

-3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$84.0 ¥559

-13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$111 ¥736

-15.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,009

$552 ¥3,674

36.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$352 ¥2,341

33.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$1,117 ¥7,432

65.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,524

$627 ¥4,170

32.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.7K

$7,668 ¥51.0K

71.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$3,819 ¥25.4K

69.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,582 ¥10.5K

11.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.5

-4.29%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Hangzhou

$352 35.7% 25.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Hangzhou

$235 23.9% 5.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Hangzhou

$134 13.6% 12.9% $15

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Hangzhou

$100 10.2% 0.9% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Hangzhou

$73 7.4% 19.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Hangzhou

$68 6.9% 6.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Hangzhou

$23 2.4% 0.5% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Shenzhen versus $552 in Hangzhou. 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 11% 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 in Shenzhen versus $26 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $235 – making Hangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

10,360,000

💱 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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Between locations

Shenzhen Hangzhou 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Hangzhou

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shenzhen is pricier by about 13%, 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 $1,477 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hangzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $552 there versus $753 in Shenzhen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen and $26 in Hangzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Shenzhen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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