Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Shaoxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Shaoxing

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $751 in Shaoxing.

Shenzhen $1,131
Shaoxing $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,204 in Shaoxing.

Shenzhen $1,741
Shaoxing $1,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,657 in Shaoxing.

Shenzhen $2,352
Shaoxing $1,657

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 51% more expensive than in Shaoxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Shaoxing 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.87

$3.72 ¥24.81

0.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$22.22 ¥148

34.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.74

$5.31 ¥35.43

0.94%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.60

$2.58 ¥17.20

31.40%

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

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.62 ¥4.15

-11.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.36 ¥2.38

-2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.15 ¥7.66

27.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.47

$2.19 ¥14.64

-0.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.62

$1.80 ¥11.97

-11.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.86

$1.96 ¥13.05

-16.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.57

$0.75 ¥4.99

52.00%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.86

$1.73 ¥11.55

2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$11.67 ¥77.8

82.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.04

$3.31 ¥22.05

4.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.0

$10.59 ¥70.6

38.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.91

$1.78 ¥11.90

25.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$1.72 ¥11.50

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.64

$1.72 ¥11.46

9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.39

$1.09 ¥7.28

29.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.93

$0.83 ¥5.51

25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$0.91 ¥6.07

37.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.65 ¥4.36

-13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.58 ¥3.87

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.23

$3.44 ¥22.92

27.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.2

$10.61 ¥70.8

10.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$0.77 ¥5.13

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.18

$1.62 ¥10.81

12.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.23 ¥1.54

147.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$19.86 ¥133

13.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.13

$1.99 ¥13.25

-23.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.43 ¥2.87

-11.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.60

$9.04 ¥60.3

-22.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.00

$1.34 ¥8.93

0.75%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$19.5K ¥129.8K

1.75%

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

$17.9K ¥119.5K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

-0.73%

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

$62.8 ¥419

$47.33 ¥316

32.60%

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

$10.25 ¥68.4

$7.90 ¥52.7

29.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$9.14 ¥61.0

78.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥330

$15.57 ¥104

218.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$6.79 ¥45.32

155.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥50.9

$6.82 ¥45.51

12.02%

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

$526 ¥3,510

$844 ¥5,630

-37.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.7K

$24.9K ¥166.3K

-1.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥368

$40.55 ¥270

35.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$31.99 ¥213

25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥482

$76.9 ¥513

-5.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥618

$106 ¥708

-12.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,145

$434 ¥2,898

77.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,187

$222 ¥1,484

114.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.2K

$596 ¥3,977

232.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,682

$450 ¥3,000

89.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.0K

$6,407 ¥42.7K

112.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.1K

$3,558 ¥23.7K

69.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$901 ¥6,009

94.39%

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 Shaoxing: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Shaoxing

$222 29.6% 53.5% $255

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Shaoxing

$205 27.2% 18.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Shaoxing

$115 15.3% 1.8% $2.1

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Shaoxing

$91 12.1% 11% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Shaoxing

$64 8.6% 28% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Shaoxing

$29 3.9% 54.9% $36

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Shaoxing

$25 3.3% 11.9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $434 in Shaoxing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Shaoxing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $205 per month, with Shaoxing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

4,912,239

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Shaoxing 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Shenzhen
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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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Shaoxing differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,131 vs $751 including rent). Shaoxing is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Shenzhen, 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $434 in Shaoxing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $844 in Shaoxing. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Expats usually find Shaoxing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.