Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Rizhao

For one person, living is cheaper in Rizhao: $667 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Rizhao
Learn more

Rizhao Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Rizhao

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Rizhao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $667 in Rizhao.

Shenzhen $1,138
Rizhao $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,077 in Rizhao.

Shenzhen $1,750
Rizhao $1,077

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,487 in Rizhao.

Shenzhen $2,362
Rizhao $1,487

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 71% more expensive than in Rizhao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Rizhao 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.54 ¥16.95

44.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$19.14 ¥128

53.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.82 ¥32.21

9.54%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$1.95 ¥13.05

67.69%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.46 ¥3.10

17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.23 ¥1.54

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.88 ¥5.87

73.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$1.98 ¥13.21

8.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.46 ¥9.78

10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.48 ¥9.87

9.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.46 ¥3.08

136.96%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.07 ¥7.14

59.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$11.73 ¥78.4

82.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.34 ¥22.32

3.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$11.35 ¥75.9

25.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.46 ¥9.78

60.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.02 ¥6.81

54.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$0.77 ¥5.17

153.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.14 ¥7.65

28.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.58 ¥3.87

86.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.68 ¥4.57

83.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.58 ¥3.85

1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.63 ¥4.19

-6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.66 ¥24.45

20.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$9.99 ¥66.8

17.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.72 ¥4.81

36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.36 ¥9.08

28.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.29 ¥1.93

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$17.44 ¥117

27.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.23 ¥8.20

17.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.25 ¥1.67

56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$4.52 ¥30.21

55.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.19 ¥7.92

12.61%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

1.78%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$14.8K ¥99.1K

22.45%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$73.5 ¥491

-11.43%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.63 ¥44.30

54.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$5.18 ¥34.65

212.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$36.51 ¥244

33.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$13.25 ¥88.6

30.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$5.36 ¥35.87

40.11%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$218 ¥1,458

146.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

22.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$34.08 ¥228

61.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$43.15 ¥289

-7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$71.2 ¥476

1.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$69.4 ¥464

34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$299 ¥1,999

156.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$163 ¥1,090

198.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$623 ¥4,167

218.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$375 ¥2,505

132.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,578 ¥23.9K

284.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$2,144 ¥14.3K

184.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.13

7.03%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rizhao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Rizhao

$163 24.4% 66.5% $323

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Rizhao

$183 27.4% 27.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Rizhao

$98 14.7% 16.5% $19

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Rizhao

$69 10.4% 30.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Rizhao

$85 12.8% 6.8% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Rizhao

$47 7.1% 26% $17

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Rizhao

$21 3.2% 25.3% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $299 in Rizhao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $19.00 in Rizhao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $183 per month, with Rizhao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Rizhao

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,143,000

💱 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 Rizhao 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Rizhao

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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 Rizhao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Rizhao differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,138 vs $667 including rent). Rizhao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,706 in Shenzhen and $1,000 in Rizhao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $768 in Shenzhen versus $299 in Rizhao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rizhao – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $29.00 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,138 per month in Shenzhen versus $667 in Rizhao – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $667 in Rizhao versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rizhao but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Rizhao 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 Rizhao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.