Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Liuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Liuzhou: $770 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Liuzhou
Learn more

Liuzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Liuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Liuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,138 per month in Shenzhen vs $770 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,138
Liuzhou $770

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,197 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,750
Liuzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $2,362 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,625 in Liuzhou, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,362
Liuzhou $1,625

Shenzhen costs about 48% more than Liuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Liuzhou are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 16% lower, Liuzhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.71 ¥18.13

37.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$22.23 ¥149

34.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.25 ¥35.12

2.10%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.82 ¥18.85

20.21%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.51 ¥3.41

7.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.31 ¥2.08

12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.06 ¥7.12

38.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.15 ¥14.38

0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.85 ¥12.34

-14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.59 ¥10.64

2.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.99 ¥6.59

15.15%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.69 ¥11.28

5.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$13.19 ¥88.2

61.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$3.35 ¥22.37

2.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.24 ¥75.2

30.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$1.47 ¥9.82

51.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$0.87 ¥5.79

85.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.50 ¥10.05

26.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.32 ¥8.82

6.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.75 ¥5.00

38.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.95 ¥6.32

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.60 ¥3.99

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.59 ¥3.95

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.83 ¥25.61

14.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$11.43 ¥76.4

2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.89 ¥5.95

10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.62 ¥10.84

12.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.31 ¥2.08

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.21 ¥122

23.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.52 ¥10.16

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.33 ¥2.18

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$6.99 ¥46.76

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.39 ¥9.33

-2.88%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.5K ¥130.3K

1.59%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.1K ¥114.3K

4.77%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$57.8 ¥387

8.56%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$8.84 ¥59.1

15.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.27 ¥75.3

45.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$80.0 ¥535

-38.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$15.15 ¥101

14.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.26 ¥41.84

22.04%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$418 ¥2,796

25.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$17.3K ¥115.5K

41.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$43.99 ¥294

25.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$33.95 ¥227

17.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$75.8 ¥507

-4.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$76.0 ¥508

22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$239 ¥1,598

222.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$185 ¥1,237

158.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$419 ¥2,800

373.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$316 ¥2,115

169.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,506 ¥23.4K

289.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,907 ¥12.7K

215.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$608 ¥4,066

188.01%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Liuzhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Liuzhou

$185 24% 61.3% $293

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Liuzhou

$204 26.5% 18.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Liuzhou

$103 13.4% 11.7% $14

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Liuzhou

$84 10.9% 17.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Liuzhou

$78 10.1% 12.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Liuzhou

$93 12% 42.8% $28

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Liuzhou

$23 2.9% 20.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Shenzhen versus $239 in Liuzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 185% higher in Shenzhen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Shenzhen versus $22.00 in Liuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $204 – making Liuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Liuzhou

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,157,934

💱 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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Shenzhen Liuzhou 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Liuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen, $770 in Liuzhou – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,706 per month in Shenzhen and $1,155 in Liuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liuzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Shenzhen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Shenzhen and $22.00 in Liuzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Liuzhou, where all-in costs run around $770, than in Shenzhen at $1,138. In Liuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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