Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Huizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Huizhou: $769 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Huizhou
Learn more

Huizhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Huizhou

🇨🇳 China

$769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Huizhou

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

A single person spends $1,096 per month in Shenzhen vs $769 in Huizhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,096
Huizhou $769

A couple spends around $1,708 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,191 in Huizhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,708
Huizhou $1,191

A family of three spends $2,320 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,614 in Huizhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,320
Huizhou $1,614

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

Both Shenzhen and Huizhou are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 19% lower, Huizhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ¥25.21

$2.20 ¥14.66

72.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.66 ¥204

$18.14 ¥121

69.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥34.27

$5.07 ¥33.73

1.58%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.40

$2.92 ¥19.43

15.07%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.54 ¥3.61

7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.16

$0.31 ¥2.09

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.07 ¥7.11

39.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.38

$1.64 ¥10.90

31.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.77 ¥11.76

-8.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$1.65 ¥11.00

-5.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.15 ¥7.67

-0.87%

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.01

$1.57 ¥10.45

5.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.13 ¥141

$7.84 ¥52.2

169.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 ¥23.49

$4.29 ¥28.59

-17.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.59 ¥97.2

$12.38 ¥82.5

17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.60

$1.83 ¥12.16

27.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$1.30 ¥8.68

24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.00

$1.23 ¥8.21

58.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.37 ¥9.11

10.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.98 ¥6.54

11.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$1.18 ¥7.89

9.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.67 ¥4.45

-7.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.49 ¥3.24

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.58

$3.03 ¥20.21

51.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$10.69 ¥71.2

13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.35

$1.07 ¥7.11

-11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.24

$1.74 ¥11.56

-2.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.31 ¥2.07

38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

$17.74 ¥118

0.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.08 ¥7.19

42.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$0.43 ¥2.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 ¥47.05

$3.80 ¥25.30

86.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.17 ¥7.78

12.82%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

-0.49%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$15.7K ¥104.5K

16.93%

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

$63.3 ¥421

$50.3 ¥335

25.97%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$11.41 ¥76.0

-13.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.37 ¥109

$9.76 ¥65.0

67.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 ¥320

$41.11 ¥274

16.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.89 ¥112

$14.83 ¥98.8

13.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ¥50.8

$6.52 ¥43.43

17.02%

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

$540 ¥3,595

$434 ¥2,891

24.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.2K

$21.4K ¥142.8K

87.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥373

$50.3 ¥335

11.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 ¥271

$40.55 ¥270

0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ¥477

$81.4 ¥542

-11.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ¥543

$69.1 ¥460

17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,089

$211 ¥1,405

262.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,022

$232 ¥1,548

95.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 ¥11.9K

$407 ¥2,712

340.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 ¥5,587

$414 ¥2,755

102.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥89.9K

$2,230 ¥14.8K

505.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,628 ¥44.1K

$1,191 ¥7,931

456.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥12.4K

$841 ¥5,598

120.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.38

-0.59%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Huizhou: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$454 41.4%

Huizhou

$232 30.2% 48.8% $221

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$252 23%

Huizhou

$200 26% 20.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$112 10.3%

Huizhou

$109 14.1% 3.4% $3.9

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9.3%

Huizhou

$80 10.4% 21.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8.2%

Huizhou

$71 9.3% 20.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$63 5.8%

Huizhou

$54 7.1% 14.5% $9.2

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Huizhou

$22 2.9% 4.2% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $764 in Shenzhen versus $211 in Huizhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Shenzhen versus $18 in Huizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $200 – making Huizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Huizhou

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,597,002

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Huizhou 73 km

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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 Huizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,096 in Shenzhen, $769 in Huizhou – Huizhou comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,644 per month in Shenzhen and $1,153 in Huizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huizhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $764 in Shenzhen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,096 in Shenzhen and $769 in Huizhou. That makes Huizhou about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $540 per month in Shenzhen and $434 in Huizhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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