Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Luoyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Luoyang: $661 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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 Luoyang
Learn more

Luoyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Luoyang

🇨🇳 China

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Luoyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $661 in Luoyang.

Shenzhen $1,117
Luoyang $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,068 in Luoyang.

Shenzhen $1,714
Luoyang $1,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,476 in Luoyang.

Shenzhen $2,310
Luoyang $1,476

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 69% more expensive than in Luoyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Luoyang 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$3.73 ¥24.81

-1.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$30.26 ¥201

-2.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$5.69 ¥37.87

-7.21%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.35

$3.57 ¥23.75

-5.88%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.11

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.25 ¥1.66

44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.31 ¥8.70

12.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.97 ¥19.79

-27.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.87 ¥12.47

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$2.30 ¥15.28

-29.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.02 ¥6.81

11.76%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.43 ¥9.51

22.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.09 ¥87.1

58.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.42 ¥22.78

-0.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$8.85 ¥58.9

62.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$0.95 ¥6.30

136.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.36 ¥9.05

19.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.51 ¥10.02

28.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.33 ¥8.88

6.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.75 ¥5.02

44.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.97 ¥6.47

31.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.46 ¥3.08

30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.84 ¥5.56

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$1.75 ¥11.66

153.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$13.66 ¥90.9

-11.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.43 ¥2.89

113.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$2.25 ¥15.00

-18.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.31 ¥2.09

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$18.10 ¥120

-0.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.18 ¥7.88

29.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.36 ¥2.37

13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$7.26 ¥48.32

1.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.27 ¥8.45

3.94%

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

$19.2K ¥128.0K

$19.6K ¥130.1K

-1.67%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$18.0K ¥119.7K

0.35%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$42.16 ¥281

53.63%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$6.03 ¥40.10

64.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$10.44 ¥69.5

57.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$22.06 ¥147

121.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$12.20 ¥81.2

38.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$5.71 ¥37.98

27.50%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$191 ¥1,273

180.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$18.6K ¥123.5K

31.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$49.85 ¥332

11.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$29.86 ¥199

35.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$66.3 ¥441

10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$80.5 ¥536

16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$192 ¥1,277

292.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$129 ¥861

263.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$441 ¥2,937

318.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$225 ¥1,495

269.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$2,135 ¥14.2K

517.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,390 ¥9,251

366.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$644 ¥4,288

173.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

4.45

-24.72%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Luoyang

$129 19.6% 72.5% $341

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Luoyang

$210 31.8% 15.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Luoyang

$102 15.4% 14% $17

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Luoyang

$105 15.9% 4.2% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Luoyang

$59 8.9% 35.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Luoyang

$33 5.1% 47.3% $30

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Luoyang

$22 3.4% 4.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $192 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $30 in Luoyang. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $210, with Luoyang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Luoyang

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,926,000

💱 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 Luoyang 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Luoyang

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 Luoyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Luoyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.7 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 $192 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $191 in Luoyang. 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 Luoyang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $661 in Luoyang versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $800 budget is realistic in Luoyang but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Luoyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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