Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Shenzhen vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,131
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $1,741 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,741
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $2,352 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,352
Heyuan $1,776

Shenzhen costs about 43% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Heyuan are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 17% lower, Heyuan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$3.06 ¥20.44

21.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$29.30 ¥196

2.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.34 ¥35.68

0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$3.06 ¥20.47

10.78%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.58 ¥3.87

-5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.34 ¥2.25

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.36 ¥9.11

8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.75 ¥18.38

-21.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.79 ¥11.95

-11.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.91 ¥12.75

-14.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.11 ¥7.39

2.70%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.52 ¥10.19

17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$16.29 ¥109

30.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$5.14 ¥34.37

-32.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$12.23 ¥81.8

20.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.29 ¥15.28

-2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.22 ¥8.18

31.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.38 ¥9.22

36.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.78 ¥11.89

-20.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.96 ¥6.40

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.18 ¥7.92

5.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.83 ¥5.55

-32.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.66 ¥4.44

-7.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.90 ¥26.04

12.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$10.64 ¥71.1

10.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$1.02 ¥6.79

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.90 ¥12.71

-3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.31 ¥2.10

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$17.71 ¥118

27.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.84 ¥12.32

-17.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.43 ¥2.89

-11.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$7.19 ¥48.04

-2.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.33 ¥8.88

1.50%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.2K ¥128.1K

3.37%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.7K ¥118.6K

0.97%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$61.4 ¥410

2.28%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$16.39 ¥110

-37.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$14.49 ¥96.9

12.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$41.17 ¥275

20.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$15.11 ¥101

14.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.54 ¥43.72

16.82%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$422 ¥2,823

24.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$24.4K ¥163.4K

0.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$49.24 ¥329

11.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$41.47 ¥277

-3.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$81.1 ¥542

-10.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$69.9 ¥467

32.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$303 ¥2,026

154.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$182 ¥1,218

162.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$623 ¥4,165

218.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$375 ¥2,507

127.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,487 ¥23.3K

291.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,937 ¥13.0K

210.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$1,362 ¥9,104

28.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.38

-0.89%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Heyuan

$182 23% 61.9% $296

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 5.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 7.1% $8.3

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 8.5% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 3.2% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 16.3% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 18.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Shenzhen versus $303 in Heyuan. 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 29% 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 $30.00 in Shenzhen versus $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,953,019

💱 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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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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen, $792 in Heyuan – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Shenzhen and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Shenzhen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shenzhen and $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Shenzhen at $1,131. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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