Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Lanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Lanzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $719 in Lanzhou.

Shenzhen $1,138
Lanzhou $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,143 in Lanzhou.

Shenzhen $1,750
Lanzhou $1,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,567 in Lanzhou.

Shenzhen $2,362
Lanzhou $1,567

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 58% more expensive than in Lanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Lanzhou 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.06 ¥13.80

78.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$28.34 ¥189

3.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$5.86 ¥39.15

-9.90%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$3.12 ¥20.89

4.81%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.48 ¥3.19

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.29 ¥1.93

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.10 ¥7.35

39.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.02 ¥13.54

6.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.77 ¥11.81

-8.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.61 ¥10.75

0.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.96 ¥6.40

13.54%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.60 ¥10.72

6.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$13.22 ¥88.4

61.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.43 ¥22.92

0.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$12.11 ¥81.0

17.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.81 ¥12.09

29.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.28 ¥8.56

23.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.49 ¥9.97

30.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.24 ¥8.32

18.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.70 ¥4.70

54.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.93 ¥6.21

34.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.60 ¥3.99

-1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.55 ¥3.70

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.77 ¥25.19

16.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$11.52 ¥77.0

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.83 ¥5.52

18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.53 ¥10.25

14.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.29 ¥1.92

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$18.07 ¥121

23.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.48 ¥9.91

-2.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.32 ¥2.17

21.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$7.12 ¥47.58

-1.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.46 ¥9.73

-8.22%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

10.81%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$15.0K ¥100.4K

20.92%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$58.0 ¥388

12.22%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$8.79 ¥58.8

16.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$11.18 ¥74.8

44.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$42.33 ¥283

15.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$14.69 ¥98.2

17.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$6.29 ¥42.06

19.40%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$412 ¥2,756

30.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

37.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$42.85 ¥287

28.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$33.44 ¥224

19.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$75.6 ¥505

-4.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$74.1 ¥495

26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$295 ¥1,971

160.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$168 ¥1,126

188.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$626 ¥4,186

216.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$297 ¥1,986

192.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$2,671 ¥17.9K

415.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$1,611 ¥10.8K

278.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$953 ¥6,375

82.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

11.67%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Lanzhou

$168 23.4% 65.3% $317

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Lanzhou

$209 29.1% 16.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Lanzhou

$102 14.2% 13.3% $16

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Lanzhou

$84 11.7% 15.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Lanzhou

$78 10.9% 14.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Lanzhou

$55 7.6% 13.9% $8.9

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Lanzhou

$22 3.1% 20.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $295 in Lanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 82% 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: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $28.00 in Lanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $209 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,688,400

💱 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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Between locations

Shenzhen Lanzhou 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Lanzhou

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 Lanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 82% 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: $768 in Shenzhen versus $295 in Lanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $412 in Lanzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.