Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $500 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Kaifeng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $500 in Kaifeng.

Shenzhen $1,117
Kaifeng $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $792 in Kaifeng.

Shenzhen $1,714
Kaifeng $792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,083 in Kaifeng.

Shenzhen $2,310
Kaifeng $1,083

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 123% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Kaifeng 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$1.85 ¥12.30

97.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$13.44 ¥89.3

118.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$4.12 ¥27.40

28.16%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$2.19 ¥14.54

53.42%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.39 ¥2.56

48.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.17 ¥1.14

111.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$0.89 ¥5.91

66.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.53 ¥10.16

39.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.57 ¥10.40

-1.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.54 ¥10.21

5.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.81 ¥5.39

40.74%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$0.96 ¥6.39

82.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$6.67 ¥44.30

210.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$2.30 ¥15.25

48.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$10.21 ¥67.8

41.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$0.87 ¥5.78

158.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$0.97 ¥6.42

67.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$0.59 ¥3.94

228.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$0.64 ¥4.25

121.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.58 ¥3.84

86.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$0.67 ¥4.47

91.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.21 ¥1.39

185.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.55 ¥3.67

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$2.94 ¥19.56

50.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$14.88 ¥98.9

-18.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.01 ¥6.70

-8.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$2.01 ¥13.36

-8.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.13 ¥0.87

238.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.17 ¥7.75

30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.15 ¥0.99

173.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$3.69 ¥24.50

99.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.27 ¥8.44

3.94%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.2K ¥127.3K

0.34%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$14.9K ¥99.0K

21.18%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$45.22 ¥300

43.23%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$4.76 ¥31.62

107.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$5.28 ¥35.07

210.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$29.67 ¥197

64.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$10.55 ¥70.1

60.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$3.82 ¥25.36

90.58%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$388 ¥2,581

38.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$31.2K ¥207.3K

-21.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$43.81 ¥291

27.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$33.96 ¥226

19.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$71.9 ¥478

1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$45.32 ¥301

107.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$121 ¥801

524.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$88.7 ¥589

430.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$225 ¥1,494

721.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$180 ¥1,197

360.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$580 ¥3,852

204.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.1

8.06%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Kaifeng

$89 17.7% 81.2% $382

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Kaifeng

$165 33.1% 33.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Kaifeng

$88 17.6% 25.9% $31

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Kaifeng

$63 12.6% 37.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Kaifeng

$55 11.1% 39.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Kaifeng

$37 7.5% 41.3% $26

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Kaifeng

$2.4 * 0.5% 89.6% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $121 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $13 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $165 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,676,159

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Shenzhen Kaifeng 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 3 times higher, 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $121 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Shenzhen versus $500 in Kaifeng – Kaifeng is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kaifeng versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kaifeng is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Kaifeng wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.