Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Tonghua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $643 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Tonghua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $643 in Tonghua.

Shenzhen $1,117
Tonghua $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,038 in Tonghua.

Shenzhen $1,714
Tonghua $1,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,432 in Tonghua.

Shenzhen $2,310
Tonghua $1,432

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 74% more expensive than in Tonghua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Tonghua 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$2.27 ¥15.08

61.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$22.26 ¥148

32.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$5.23 ¥34.79

0.96%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.35

$2.21 ¥14.73

52.04%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.43 ¥2.88

34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.36 ¥2.38

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.74 ¥4.90

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$1.83 ¥12.17

16.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.69 ¥11.24

-8.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$2.16 ¥14.34

-24.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.03 ¥6.88

10.68%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.05 ¥6.99

66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.73 ¥91.4

51.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$2.97 ¥19.74

14.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$6.92 ¥46.03

108.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.01 ¥6.74

122.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.07 ¥7.15

51.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$0.81 ¥5.38

139.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.07 ¥7.14

32.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.86 ¥5.71

25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$1.03 ¥6.85

24.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.58 ¥3.87

3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.65 ¥4.32

-13.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.72 ¥24.77

19.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$11.76 ¥78.3

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.69 ¥4.57

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.15 ¥7.63

59.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.29 ¥1.90

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$18.11 ¥121

-0.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$0.88 ¥5.87

73.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.39 ¥2.57

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$3.01 ¥20.05

144.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.24 ¥8.22

6.45%

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

$19.2K ¥128.0K

$19.4K ¥128.8K

-0.68%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

5.31%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$23.30 ¥155

177.98%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$5.98 ¥39.77

65.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$8.88 ¥59.1

84.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$42.23 ¥281

15.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$14.79 ¥98.4

14.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.05 ¥40.26

20.33%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$300 ¥1,994

79.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$14.9K ¥99.0K

64.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$22.75 ¥151

145.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$33.44 ¥223

21.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$61.0 ¥406

19.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$69.0 ¥459

35.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$285 ¥1,897

164.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$186 ¥1,237

153.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$598 ¥3,978

209.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$361 ¥2,404

129.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,262 ¥21.7K

304.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

227.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$501 ¥3,336

251.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

-16.25%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Tonghua

$186 28.9% 60.5% $285

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Tonghua

$188 29.2% 24.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Tonghua

$84 13% 29.3% $35

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Tonghua

$71 11% 29.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Tonghua

$38 5.9% 58.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Tonghua

$54 8.5% 14.5% $9.2

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Tonghua

$22 3.4% 5.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $285 in Tonghua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Tonghua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $188 per month, with Tonghua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

446,917

💱 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 Tonghua 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Tonghua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tonghua wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tonghua the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 3.5 times higher, 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 $285 in Tonghua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $300 in Tonghua. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tonghua – a meal for two runs $22 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Tonghua is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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