Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
Learn more

Taizhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Taizhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $774 in Taizhou.

Shenzhen $1,131
Taizhou $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,255 in Taizhou.

Shenzhen $1,741
Taizhou $1,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,735 in Taizhou.

Shenzhen $2,352
Taizhou $1,735

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 46% more expensive than in Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Taizhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.87

$3.76 ¥25.05

-0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$25.85 ¥172

15.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.74

$4.54 ¥30.25

18.06%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.60

$3.43 ¥22.87

-1.17%

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

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.53 ¥3.56

3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.91

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.17 ¥7.82

25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.47

$2.27 ¥15.15

-4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.62

$1.87 ¥12.44

-14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.86

$1.65 ¥11.00

-1.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.57

$0.54 ¥3.59

111.11%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.86

$1.18 ¥7.87

50.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$19.42 ¥130

9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.04

$3.66 ¥24.44

-5.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.0

$10.17 ¥67.9

44.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.91

$1.19 ¥7.95

87.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$1.33 ¥8.87

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.64

$1.52 ¥10.15

24.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.39

$1.61 ¥10.75

-12.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.93

$0.74 ¥4.95

40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$0.93 ¥6.22

34.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.68 ¥4.53

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.58 ¥3.87

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.23

$4.22 ¥28.12

3.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.2

$13.50 ¥90.0

-13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$0.43 ¥2.89

127.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.18

$1.64 ¥10.95

11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.29 ¥1.93

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.07 ¥121

24.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.13

$1.22 ¥8.10

24.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.39 ¥2.58

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.60

$7.02 ¥46.81

-0.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.00

$1.28 ¥8.55

5.47%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

1.89%

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

$17.9K ¥119.5K

$16.3K ¥108.8K

9.84%

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

$62.8 ¥419

$48.64 ¥324

29.03%

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

$10.25 ¥68.4

$8.88 ¥59.2

15.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.43 ¥76.2

43.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥330

$41.01 ¥274

20.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$15.17 ¥101

14.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥50.9

$7.43 ¥49.56

2.83%

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

$526 ¥3,510

$564 ¥3,761

-6.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.7K

$35.6K ¥237.4K

-31.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥368

$33.06 ¥220

66.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$42.37 ¥283

-5.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥482

$83.2 ¥555

-13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥618

$108 ¥722

-14.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,145

$299 ¥1,994

158.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,187

$185 ¥1,236

157.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.2K

$640 ¥4,267

210.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,682

$380 ¥2,537

123.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.0K

$3,418 ¥22.8K

299.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.1K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

203.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.5

-4.29%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Taizhou

$185 23.9% 61.2% $293

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Taizhou

$223 28.9% 11.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Taizhou

$120 15.5% 2.6% $3

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 3.3% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Taizhou

$69 8.9% 22.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Taizhou

$56 7.2% 13.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Taizhou

$22 2.9% 20.9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $299 in Taizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Shenzhen vs $26 in Taizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $223 per month, with Taizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

615,000

💱 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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Between locations

Shenzhen Taizhou 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Taizhou

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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taizhou wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taizhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,696 in Shenzhen and $1,162 in Taizhou 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $299 in Taizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taizhou runs roughly 20% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen versus $564 in Taizhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Expats usually find Taizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.