Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Huzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Huzhou: $815 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Huzhou
Learn more

Huzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Huzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Huzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $815 in Huzhou.

Shenzhen $1,131
Huzhou $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,338 in Huzhou.

Shenzhen $1,741
Huzhou $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,861 in Huzhou.

Shenzhen $2,352
Huzhou $1,861

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 39% more expensive than in Huzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Huzhou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$4.58 ¥30.65

-18.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$30.24 ¥202

-1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.09 ¥34.01

5.30%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$3.30 ¥22.07

2.73%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.62 ¥4.13

-11.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.23 ¥8.21

19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.19 ¥14.62

-0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.84 ¥12.30

-13.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$2.00 ¥13.37

-18.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.98 ¥6.58

16.33%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.67 ¥11.16

6.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$17.31 ¥116

22.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.20 ¥21.40

7.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$12.91 ¥86.3

13.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.22 ¥14.83

0.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.74 ¥11.66

-7.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.97 ¥13.16

-4.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.67 ¥11.20

-15.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.80 ¥5.37

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.98 ¥6.57

27.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.62 ¥4.16

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.58 ¥3.90

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.80 ¥25.42

15.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$10.93 ¥73.1

7.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.88 ¥5.88

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.54 ¥10.30

18.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.92

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.52 ¥124

21.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$2.12 ¥14.17

-28.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.43 ¥2.91

-11.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$9.12 ¥61.0

-23.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.34 ¥8.97

0.75%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.7K ¥131.6K

0.58%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.9K ¥119.9K

-0.14%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$58.6 ¥392

7.06%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$8.07 ¥54.0

27.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$10.71 ¥71.6

52.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$38.06 ¥255

30.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$16.73 ¥112

3.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$9.00 ¥60.2

-15.11%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$394 ¥2,631

33.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$27.8K ¥186.0K

-11.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$55.0 ¥368

0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$37.51 ¥251

6.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$74.7 ¥499

-3.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$107 ¥715

-13.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$299 ¥2,002

157.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$191 ¥1,278

150.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$606 ¥4,053

227.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$411 ¥2,748

107.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,370 ¥22.5K

304.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,908 ¥12.8K

215.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$1,184 ¥7,917

47.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Huzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Huzhou

$191 23.5% 60% $287

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Huzhou

$237 29.1% 5.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Huzhou

$123 15.2% 5.4% $6.3

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Huzhou

$106 13% 4% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Huzhou

$77 9.5% 13.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Huzhou

$56 6.9% 13.5% $8.7

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Huzhou

$24 2.9% 15.3% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $299 in Huzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 48% 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 $30.00 in Huzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $237, with Huzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Huzhou

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,893,542

💱 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 Huzhou 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Huzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $299 in Huzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

At $815 in Huzhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Huzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Huzhou 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 Huzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.