Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Karamay

For one person, living is cheaper in Karamay: $731 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Karamay
Learn more

Karamay Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Karamay

🇨🇳 China

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Karamay

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

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Shenzhen vs $731 in Karamay, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,117
Karamay $731

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,172 in Karamay, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,714
Karamay $1,172

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,612 in Karamay, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Karamay $1,612

Shenzhen costs about 53% more than Karamay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Karamay are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 18% lower, Karamay 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$3.04 ¥20.20

20.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$22.13 ¥147

32.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$4.97 ¥33.05

6.24%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.35

$2.84 ¥18.92

18.31%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.14

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.31 ¥2.09

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.06 ¥7.06

39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.13 ¥14.15

0.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.86 ¥12.35

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.60 ¥10.65

1.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.01 ¥6.74

12.87%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.60 ¥10.63

9.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.16 ¥87.6

57.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.35 ¥22.32

1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.42 ¥76.0

26.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.83 ¥12.17

22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.36 ¥9.02

19.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.58 ¥10.49

22.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.26 ¥8.38

12.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.75 ¥5.01

44.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.97 ¥6.48

31.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.63 ¥4.18

-4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.60 ¥3.98

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.77 ¥25.06

17.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$11.33 ¥75.4

6.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.88 ¥5.85

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.59 ¥10.61

15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.33 ¥2.17

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$19.01 ¥127

-5.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.47 ¥9.81

4.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.32 ¥2.16

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$7.42 ¥49.40

-0.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.26 ¥8.38

4.76%

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

$19.2K ¥128.0K

$18.7K ¥124.4K

2.86%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$15.3K ¥102.0K

17.72%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$50.0 ¥333

29.46%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$8.61 ¥57.3

14.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$10.96 ¥72.9

49.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$42.43 ¥282

15.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$16.34 ¥109

3.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.40 ¥42.60

13.75%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$431 ¥2,869

24.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$17.4K ¥115.5K

40.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$43.82 ¥292

27.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$33.60 ¥224

20.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$74.6 ¥497

-2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$75.4 ¥502

24.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$285 ¥1,896

164.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$185 ¥1,229

154.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$596 ¥3,964

210.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$369 ¥2,455

125.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,114 ¥20.7K

323.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,975 ¥13.1K

228.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$604 ¥4,018

191.98%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Karamay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Karamay

$185 25.3% 60.7% $286

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Karamay

$210 28.7% 15.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Karamay

$102 14% 13.6% $16

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Karamay

$86 11.8% 14.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Karamay

$70 9.5% 23.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Karamay

$55 7.6% 13% $8.3

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Karamay

$23 3.2% 0.2% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Shenzhen versus $285 in Karamay. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen versus $22 in Karamay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $210 – making Karamay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Karamay

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

490,348

💱 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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Shenzhen Karamay 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Shenzhen
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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 Karamay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shenzhen is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,675 per month in Shenzhen and $1,096 in Karamay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karamay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $753 in Shenzhen.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Shenzhen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen and $22 in Karamay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karamay, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Shenzhen at $1,117. In Karamay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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