Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Hefei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $768 in Hefei.

Shenzhen $1,131
Hefei $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,225 in Hefei.

Shenzhen $1,741
Hefei $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,681 in Hefei.

Shenzhen $2,352
Hefei $1,681

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 47% more expensive than in Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Hefei 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.58 ¥17.28

44.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$22.44 ¥150

33.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.36 ¥29.18

22.94%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.75 ¥18.39

23.27%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.49 ¥3.26

12.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.27 ¥1.80

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.06 ¥7.09

38.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.00 ¥13.35

8.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.62 ¥10.84

-1.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$2.06 ¥13.75

-20.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.81 ¥5.42

40.74%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.92 ¥12.84

-7.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$14.10 ¥94.3

50.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$4.90 ¥32.76

-29.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.57 ¥77.3

26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.31 ¥15.45

-3.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.72 ¥11.52

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.64 ¥10.95

15.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.61 ¥10.79

-12.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.80 ¥5.37

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.94 ¥6.26

32.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.79 ¥5.26

-29.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.70 ¥4.70

-12.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.08 ¥20.59

42.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$12.16 ¥81.3

-3.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.93 ¥6.21

5.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.99 ¥13.28

-8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.31 ¥2.09

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$45.22 ¥302

-50.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.23 ¥8.21

23.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.33 ¥2.20

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$3.51 ¥23.48

99.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.33 ¥8.91

1.50%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

4.07%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

6.05%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$48.54 ¥325

29.30%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$9.54 ¥63.8

7.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$12.08 ¥80.8

35.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$15.66 ¥105

216.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$15.31 ¥102

13.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.41 ¥42.85

19.19%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$236 ¥1,581

122.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$8,656 ¥57.9K

183.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$89.7 ¥600

-38.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$32.76 ¥219

22.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$62.7 ¥419

15.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$96.9 ¥648

-4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$241 ¥1,609

220.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$179 ¥1,197

166.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$532 ¥3,558

272.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$340 ¥2,270

150.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,573 ¥23.9K

281.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,975 ¥13.2K

204.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$1,011 ¥6,763

73.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.15

6.35%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Hefei: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Hefei

$179 23.3% 62.5% $299

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Hefei

$235 30.6% 6.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Hefei

$127 16.5% 8.4% $9.9

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Hefei

$79 10.3% 22.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Hefei

$70 9.1% 21.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Hefei

$28 3.7% 56% $36

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Hefei

$49 6.4% 74.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $241 in Hefei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 73% 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 $22.00 in Hefei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $235 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

9,369,881

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Shenzhen Hefei 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 73% 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 $241 in Hefei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $30.00 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,131 per month in Shenzhen versus $768 in Hefei – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.