Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Korla

For one person, living is cheaper in Korla: $650 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Korla
Learn more

Korla Living Index

Jump to prices

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Korla

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Korla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $650 in Korla.

Shenzhen $1,117
Korla $650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,046 in Korla.

Shenzhen $1,714
Korla $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,442 in Korla.

Shenzhen $2,310
Korla $1,442

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 72% more expensive than in Korla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Korla 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$3.06 ¥20.39

19.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$16.36 ¥109

79.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$5.13 ¥34.13

2.92%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.87 ¥19.08

17.07%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.13

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.26 ¥1.74

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.88 ¥5.83

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$1.47 ¥9.78

45.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.28 ¥8.49

20.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$0.91 ¥6.07

79.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.67 ¥4.47

70.15%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.53 ¥10.21

14.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$6.16 ¥40.97

236.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$2.48 ¥16.50

37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$9.83 ¥65.4

46.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$2.04 ¥13.55

10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.27 ¥8.43

27.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.84 ¥12.26

5.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$0.73 ¥4.83

94.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.54 ¥3.63

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.61 ¥4.09

109.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.50 ¥3.34

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.48 ¥3.22

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.03 ¥20.14

46.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$10.57 ¥70.4

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.14 ¥7.57

-19.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.48 ¥9.86

23.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.26 ¥1.74

69.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$18.22 ¥121

-0.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.34 ¥8.89

14.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.21 ¥1.40

95.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$7.63 ¥50.8

-3.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.19 ¥7.90

10.92%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$18.2K ¥121.4K

5.40%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$14.1K ¥93.8K

28.02%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$68.2 ¥454

-5.00%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$5.25 ¥34.93

88.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$11.36 ¥75.6

44.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$39.34 ¥262

24.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$13.56 ¥90.2

25.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$5.22 ¥34.76

39.46%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$162 ¥1,078

231.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$9,078 ¥60.4K

168.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$18.07 ¥120

208.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$21.97 ¥146

84.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$105 ¥696

-30.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$44.96 ¥299

108.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$269 ¥1,792

179.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$164 ¥1,091

187.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$650 ¥4,327

184.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$389 ¥2,591

113.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$2,961 ¥19.7K

345.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,938 ¥12.9K

234.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$750 ¥4,989

135.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.39

-1.18%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Korla: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Korla

$164 25.2% 65.2% $307

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Korla

$160 24.7% 35.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Korla

$85 13.1% 28% $33

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Korla

$85 13% 16.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Korla

$85 13% 6.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Korla

$50 7.7% 21.6% $14

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Korla

$22 3.3% 7.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $269 in Korla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $16 in Korla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $160 per month, with Korla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Korla

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

2 h behind Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

779,352

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shenzhen Korla 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Korla

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 Korla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Korla wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Korla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.4 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 $269 in Korla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $162 in Korla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Korla – a meal for two runs $16 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $650 in Korla versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Korla but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Korla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Korla 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 – Korla wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.