Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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 Lhasa
Learn more

Lhasa Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Lhasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $738 in Lhasa.

Shenzhen $1,117
Lhasa $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,194 in Lhasa.

Shenzhen $1,714
Lhasa $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,649 in Lhasa.

Shenzhen $2,310
Lhasa $1,649

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 51% more expensive than in Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Lhasa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$4.37 ¥29.06

-16.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$30.36 ¥202

-3.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$7.38 ¥49.11

-28.46%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.35

$2.81 ¥18.67

19.57%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.43 ¥2.88

34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.31 ¥2.05

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.48 ¥9.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.08 ¥13.84

2.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.80 ¥11.96

-14.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.65 ¥11.00

-1.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.01 ¥6.73

12.87%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.58 ¥10.54

10.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$7.00 ¥46.59

196.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.04 ¥20.23

12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.15 ¥74.2

29.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.83 ¥12.16

22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.34 ¥8.90

20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.56 ¥10.41

24.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.33 ¥8.86

6.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.70 ¥4.65

54.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.95 ¥6.34

34.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.59 ¥3.93

1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.59 ¥3.96

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.84 ¥25.58

15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$11.23 ¥74.7

7.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.84 ¥5.62

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.61 ¥10.71

13.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.31 ¥2.06

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$18.27 ¥122

-1.20%

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

$7.33 ¥48.81

0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.31 ¥8.71

0.76%

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

$19.2K ¥128.0K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

0.14%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$17.7K ¥117.7K

2.06%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$56.5 ¥376

14.62%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$8.54 ¥56.8

15.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$11.23 ¥74.7

46.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$42.42 ¥282

15.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$15.12 ¥101

12.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.33 ¥42.15

15.01%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$434 ¥2,885

23.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

36.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$42.74 ¥284

30.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$33.30 ¥222

21.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$75.4 ¥502

-3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$76.4 ¥508

22.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$287 ¥1,910

162.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$189 ¥1,256

149.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$598 ¥3,978

209.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$373 ¥2,482

122.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,221 ¥21.4K

309.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,933 ¥12.9K

235.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$2,079 ¥13.8K

-15.20%

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 Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Lhasa

$189 25.6% 59.9% $282

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Lhasa

$188 25.5% 24.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Lhasa

$103 13.9% 13.4% $16

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Lhasa

$105 14.3% 4.4% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Lhasa

$76 10.3% 16.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 13.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Lhasa

$23 3.1% 3.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $287 in Lhasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $30 in Lhasa. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $188, with Lhasa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

867,891

💱 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 Lhasa 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $738 in Lhasa, so Lhasa is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Shenzhen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $753 in Shenzhen versus $287 in Lhasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $434 in Lhasa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shenzhen – a meal for two runs $29 versus $30 in Lhasa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Lhasa 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.