Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Si Racha

For one person, living is cheaper in Si Racha: $987 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shenzhen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Si Racha
Learn more

Si Racha Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Si Racha

🇹🇭 Thailand

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Si Racha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $987 in Si Racha.

Shenzhen $1,117
Si Racha $987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,612 in Si Racha.

Shenzhen $1,714
Si Racha $1,612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $2,237 in Si Racha.

Shenzhen $2,310
Si Racha $2,237

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 13% more expensive than in Si Racha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Si Racha 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$2.96 ฿99.9

23.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$36.14 ฿1,220

-18.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$6.38 ฿215

-17.24%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$2.68 ฿90.5

25.37%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.63 ฿21.23

-7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.29 ฿9.70

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$2.26 ฿76.3

-34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$2.63 ฿88.7

-18.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.80 ฿60.8

-14.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.43 ฿48.17

13.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.41 ฿47.50

-19.15%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$2.23 ฿75.2

-21.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$15.36 ฿518

35.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$2.56 ฿86.3

33.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$9.96 ฿336

44.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$3.38 ฿114

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.27 ฿42.74

27.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.86 ฿62.8

4.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$1.95 ฿65.9

-27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.24 ฿41.91

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.09 ฿36.71

17.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$1.23 ฿41.43

-51.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.48 ฿16.14

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$4.44 ฿150

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$15.15 ฿511

-20.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.70 ฿57.3

-45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$2.91 ฿98.3

-37.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.87 ฿29.34

-49.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$35.64 ฿1,203

-49.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.05 ฿35.59

45.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$1.08 ฿36.29

-62.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$3.67 ฿124

100.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.37 ฿46.30

-3.65%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$31.0K ฿1.0M

-37.89%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$26.5K ฿893.8K

-31.86%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$106 ฿3,587

-39.05%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$11.58 ฿391

-14.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$19.32 ฿652

-15.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$46.43 ฿1,567

5.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$13.49 ฿455

25.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$7.69 ฿260

-5.33%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$579 ฿19.6K

-7.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$14.6K ฿492.6K

67.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$50.1 ฿1,690

11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$29.74 ฿1,004

36.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$94.9 ฿3,203

-23.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$74.9 ฿2,526

25.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$452 ฿15.3K

66.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$296 ฿10.0K

58.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$1,161 ฿39.2K

59.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$704 ฿23.8K

17.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$1,931 ฿65.2K

582.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,469 ฿49.6K

340.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

66.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.25

-36.19%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Si Racha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Si Racha

$296 30% 37% $174

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Si Racha

$238 24.2% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Si Racha

$112 11.4% 5.2% $6.2

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Si Racha

$95 9.7% 5.6% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Si Racha

$137 13.9% 50.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Si Racha

$62 6.3% 2.7% $1.7

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Si Racha

$46 4.6% 94.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $452 in Si Racha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $36 in Si Racha. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $238, with Si Racha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇹🇭 Si Racha

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

1 h behind Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

19,444

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shenzhen Si Racha 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Si Racha

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 Si Racha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Si Racha wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Si Racha the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $452 in Si Racha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shenzhen runs roughly 49% less than in Si Racha. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $579 in Si Racha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Si Racha wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.