Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Hanzhong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanzhong: $692 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Hanzhong
Learn more

Hanzhong Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Hanzhong

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Hanzhong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $692 in Hanzhong.

Shenzhen $1,131
Hanzhong $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,110 in Hanzhong.

Shenzhen $1,741
Hanzhong $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,527 in Hanzhong.

Shenzhen $2,352
Hanzhong $1,527

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Hanzhong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Hanzhong 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.75 ¥18.38

35.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$18.25 ¥122

63.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.53 ¥30.27

18.32%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.18 ¥14.55

55.50%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.40 ¥2.70

37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.26 ¥1.74

34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.53 ¥10.21

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.52 ¥10.19

42.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.45 ¥9.68

9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.67 ¥11.17

-2.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.91 ¥6.10

25.27%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.43 ¥9.53

24.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$11.80 ¥78.9

80.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$4.17 ¥27.85

-17.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$10.31 ¥69.0

42.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.68 ¥11.23

32.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.10 ¥7.35

46.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.28 ¥8.55

47.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.27 ¥8.52

11.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.65 ¥4.31

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.71 ¥4.72

76.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.63 ¥4.19

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.59 ¥3.96

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.44 ¥22.99

27.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$9.81 ¥65.6

19.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.78 ¥5.18

25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.75 ¥11.71

4.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.91

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.20 ¥122

24.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.24 ¥8.27

22.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.29 ¥1.91

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$4.58 ¥30.62

52.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.26 ¥8.46

7.14%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.1K ¥128.0K

3.44%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

0.85%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$41.30 ¥276

51.96%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$5.82 ¥38.95

76.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$10.63 ¥71.1

53.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$40.88 ¥273

21.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$14.70 ¥98.3

17.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$5.10 ¥34.07

49.80%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$703 ¥4,703

-25.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

42.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$38.35 ¥256

43.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$37.56 ¥251

6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$73.8 ¥494

-2.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$92.3 ¥617

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$293 ¥1,958

163.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$184 ¥1,227

160.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$637 ¥4,260

211.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$375 ¥2,506

127.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,538 ¥23.7K

285.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,918 ¥12.8K

213.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$588 ¥3,929

198.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.1

8.06%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Hanzhong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Hanzhong

$184 26.5% 61.6% $294

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Hanzhong

$194 28% 22.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Hanzhong

$109 15.7% 7% $8.1

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Hanzhong

$75 10.8% 26.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Hanzhong

$58 8.3% 35.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Hanzhong

$51 7.4% 21.2% $14

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Hanzhong

$22 3.2% 22.2% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $293 in Hanzhong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 198% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $18.00 in Hanzhong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $194 per month, with Hanzhong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Hanzhong

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,416,196

💱 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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Shenzhen Hanzhong 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Hanzhong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hanzhong wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hanzhong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 198% higher in Shenzhen, 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $293 in Hanzhong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $703 in Hanzhong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $692 in Hanzhong versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hanzhong but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Hanzhong 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.

Expats usually find Hanzhong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.