Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $691 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Shantou

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

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Shenzhen vs $691 in Shantou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,117
Shantou $691

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,107 in Shantou, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,714
Shantou $1,107

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,524 in Shantou, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Shantou $1,524

Shenzhen costs about 62% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Shenzhen and Shantou are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 18% lower, Shantou 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$2.28 ¥15.17

60.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$23.55 ¥157

24.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$5.27 ¥35.00

0.19%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$3.29 ¥21.86

2.13%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.47 ¥3.14

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.31 ¥2.04

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$0.93 ¥6.21

59.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$2.22 ¥14.78

-3.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.61 ¥10.68

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.47 ¥9.77

10.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.78 ¥5.17

46.15%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.70 ¥11.32

2.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.70 ¥91.0

51.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$3.29 ¥21.86

3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$12.93 ¥86.0

11.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$2.05 ¥13.63

9.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.57 ¥10.46

3.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.83 ¥12.16

6.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$1.38 ¥9.15

2.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.85 ¥5.67

27.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.01 ¥6.71

26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.59 ¥3.94

1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.43 ¥2.84

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$3.77 ¥25.06

17.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$11.80 ¥78.4

2.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.84 ¥5.55

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$1.74 ¥11.57

5.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.38 ¥2.54

15.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$24.13 ¥160

-25.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.46 ¥9.71

4.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.39 ¥2.58

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$7.39 ¥49.13

-0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.24 ¥8.27

6.45%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

-2.38%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$18.2K ¥120.8K

-0.75%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$58.3 ¥388

11.06%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$9.17 ¥60.9

7.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$13.84 ¥92.0

18.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$7.42 ¥49.29

-1.89%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$527 ¥3,505

1.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$24.3K ¥161.8K

0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$55.2 ¥367

0.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$40.48 ¥269

0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$72.4 ¥481

0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$92.9 ¥617

1.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$295 ¥1,963

154.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$148 ¥984

217.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$590 ¥3,924

212.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$301 ¥1,998

176.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$2,209 ¥14.7K

497.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$4,479 ¥29.8K

44.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,070 ¥7,110

64.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Shantou

$148 21.4% 68.5% $323

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Shantou

$214 31% 13.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Shantou

$117 17% 0.8% $1

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Shantou

$86 12.4% 14.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Shantou

$81 11.8% 10.7% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 76.6% $49

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 24.3% $5.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Shenzhen versus $295 in Shantou. 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 65% higher in Shenzhen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen versus $24 in Shantou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $214 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

5,389,328

💱 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 Shantou 280 km

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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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen, $691 in Shantou – Shantou comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,675 per month in Shenzhen and $1,036 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shantou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $295 there versus $753 in Shenzhen.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Shenzhen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen and $24 in Shantou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Shantou. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.