Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Heze

For one person, living is cheaper in Heze: $685 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Heze
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Heze Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Heze

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Heze

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Shenzhen vs $685 in Heze, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,131
Heze $685

A couple spends around $1,741 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,068 in Heze, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,741
Heze $1,068

A family of three spends $2,352 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,450 in Heze, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,352
Heze $1,450

Shenzhen costs about 65% more than Heze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Heze are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 17% lower, Heze 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.59 ¥17.29

44.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$11.12 ¥74.3

169.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.03 ¥33.63

6.56%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.45 ¥16.36

38.37%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.44 ¥2.93

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.23 ¥1.54

52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.94 ¥6.30

56.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.97 ¥13.18

10.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.46 ¥9.78

8.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.46 ¥9.76

11.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.24 ¥8.26

-8.06%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.11 ¥7.39

60.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$11.88 ¥79.4

78.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.29 ¥22.02

4.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.41 ¥76.3

28.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.39 ¥9.30

60.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.05 ¥7.05

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.42 ¥9.51

33.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.09 ¥7.27

29.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.61 ¥4.10

70.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.69 ¥4.62

81.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.53 ¥3.54

5.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.62 ¥4.14

-1.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.72 ¥24.86

17.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$10.20 ¥68.2

14.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.66 ¥4.40

48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.33 ¥8.89

37.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.92

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$17.90 ¥120

26.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.03 ¥6.91

47.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.25 ¥1.66

52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$4.55 ¥30.39

53.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$0.99 ¥6.61

36.36%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.5K ¥130.1K

1.78%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$14.8K ¥99.0K

20.97%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$71.7 ¥479

-12.48%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.70 ¥44.78

52.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$5.04 ¥33.72

224.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$41.70 ¥279

18.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$14.68 ¥98.1

17.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$5.30 ¥35.44

44.15%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$219 ¥1,462

140.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$20.2K ¥134.8K

21.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$33.10 ¥221

66.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$42.31 ¥283

-5.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$59.5 ¥398

21.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$51.4 ¥344

80.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$302 ¥2,019

155.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$179 ¥1,198

166.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$623 ¥4,162

218.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$373 ¥2,494

128.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,494 ¥23.4K

290.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,913 ¥12.8K

214.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$588 ¥3,932

197.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.13

7.03%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Heze: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Heze

$179 26.2% 62.5% $299

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Heze

$188 27.5% 25.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Heze

$84 12.2% 28.4% $33

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Heze

$76 11.2% 24.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Heze

$83 12.2% 6.6% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Heze

$52 7.6% 19.3% $12

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Heze

$21 3.1% 24.6% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Shenzhen versus $302 in Heze. 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 198% 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 $11.00 in Heze. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $188 – making Heze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Heze

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

8,795,939

💱 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 Heze 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Heze

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 Heze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen, $685 in Heze – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Shenzhen and $1,028 in Heze. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shenzhen and $11.00 in Heze. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,131 in Shenzhen and $685 in Heze. That's a gap of about 65%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heze, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Shenzhen at $1,131. In Heze it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heze – 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 Heze. 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.