Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Quanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $809 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Quanzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $809 in Quanzhou.

Shenzhen $1,117
Quanzhou $809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,193 in Quanzhou.

Shenzhen $1,714
Quanzhou $1,193

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,578 in Quanzhou.

Shenzhen $2,310
Quanzhou $1,578

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 38% more expensive than in Quanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Quanzhou 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.27 ¥15.14

61.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$30.03 ¥200

-2.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$4.89 ¥32.54

7.98%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$3.34 ¥22.24

0.60%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.46 ¥3.07

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.29 ¥1.94

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$2.97 ¥19.77

-50.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$1.85 ¥12.32

15.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.52 ¥10.12

1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$0.84 ¥5.56

94.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.93 ¥6.20

22.58%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.55 ¥10.34

12.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$7.48 ¥49.80

177.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$2.28 ¥15.16

49.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$5.13 ¥34.15

181.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.48 ¥9.86

52.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$0.93 ¥6.16

74.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$0.76 ¥5.07

155.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.09 ¥7.23

30.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.43 ¥2.88

151.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$1.00 ¥6.69

28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.17 ¥1.12

252.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.51 ¥3.43

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.26 ¥21.70

35.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$7.60 ¥50.6

58.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.92 ¥6.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.32 ¥8.80

38.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.31 ¥2.08

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$24.35 ¥162

-25.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.17 ¥7.79

30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.34 ¥2.26

20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$8.81 ¥58.6

-16.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.25 ¥8.35

5.60%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$18.1K ¥120.4K

6.27%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$15.8K ¥105.1K

14.26%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$51.8 ¥345

25.01%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$8.13 ¥54.1

21.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$12.28 ¥81.7

33.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$55.9 ¥372

-12.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$18.53 ¥123

-8.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$5.96 ¥39.67

22.15%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$522 ¥3,475

2.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$11.9K ¥79.2K

104.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$20.68 ¥138

169.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$33.21 ¥221

22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$91.0 ¥605

-19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$96.1 ¥639

-2.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$270 ¥1,795

179.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$300 ¥1,998

56.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$490 ¥3,259

277.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$400 ¥2,662

107.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,041 ¥20.2K

333.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,972 ¥13.1K

228.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$827 ¥5,504

113.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.15

6.35%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Quanzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Quanzhou

$300 37.1% 36.2% $170

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Quanzhou

$137 16.9% 45.1% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Quanzhou

$108 13.4% 8.5% $10

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Quanzhou

$95 11.7% 6.2% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Quanzhou

$72 8.9% 20.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Quanzhou

$68 8.4% 6.9% $4.4

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Quanzhou

$28 3.5% 21.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $270 in Quanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $30 in Quanzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $137, with Quanzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

8,128,530

💱 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 Quanzhou 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Shenzhen
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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 Quanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $809 in Quanzhou, so Quanzhou is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.1 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 $270 in Quanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Shenzhen versus $809 in Quanzhou – Quanzhou is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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