Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Wenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Wenzhou: $628 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Wenzhou
Learn more

Wenzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Wenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Wenzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $628 in Wenzhou.

Shenzhen $1,138
Wenzhou $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,059 in Wenzhou.

Shenzhen $1,750
Wenzhou $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,489 in Wenzhou.

Shenzhen $2,362
Wenzhou $1,489

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 81% more expensive than in Wenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Wenzhou 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$3.01 ¥20.10

21.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$30.38 ¥203

-3.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$7.66 ¥51.2

-31.07%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$2.65 ¥17.75

23.40%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.52 ¥3.50

3.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.30 ¥2.02

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.86 ¥5.73

77.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$3.03 ¥20.28

-29.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$2.08 ¥13.94

-22.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.95 ¥13.01

-16.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.31 ¥8.78

-16.79%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.98 ¥13.21

-13.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$7.61 ¥50.9

181.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$2.18 ¥14.61

58.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$9.49 ¥63.4

50.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.90 ¥12.74

23.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.79 ¥11.95

-11.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.69 ¥11.31

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.12 ¥7.46

31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.61 ¥4.09

77.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.72 ¥4.81

73.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.47 ¥3.12

25.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.37 ¥22.57

30.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$13.24 ¥88.5

-11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.22 ¥8.16

-19.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.23 ¥8.21

42.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.29 ¥1.91

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.68 ¥11.25

-13.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.35 ¥2.35

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$7.75 ¥51.8

-9.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.26 ¥8.46

6.35%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

-0.40%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$15.5K ¥103.9K

16.76%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$29.91 ¥200

117.65%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.60 ¥44.11

55.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$8.89 ¥59.4

81.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$13.62 ¥91.1

258.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$26.79 ¥179

-35.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$7.60 ¥50.8

-1.18%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$1,247 ¥8,340

-56.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$9,703 ¥64.9K

149.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$43.55 ¥291

26.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$18.78 ¥126

113.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$96.5 ¥645

-24.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$44.71 ¥299

108.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$240 ¥1,603

220.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$170 ¥1,135

186.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$632 ¥4,228

213.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$363 ¥2,428

139.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$4,065 ¥27.2K

238.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$2,598 ¥17.4K

134.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$868 ¥5,803

100.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.46

-3.18%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Wenzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Wenzhou

$170 27% 65.1% $316

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Wenzhou

$196 31.1% 22.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Wenzhou

$92 14.6% 21.9% $26

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Wenzhou

$93 14.7% 7.3% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Wenzhou

$45 7.2% 50.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Wenzhou

$29 4.6% 54.8% $35

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Wenzhou

$4.6 * 0.7% 83.8% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $240 in Wenzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 100% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $30.00 in Wenzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $196, with Wenzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Wenzhou

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

9,300,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Wenzhou 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 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 Wenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wenzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wenzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 100% 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: $768 in Shenzhen versus $240 in Wenzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $1,247 in Wenzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wenzhou – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $29.00 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $628 in Wenzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Wenzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Wenzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Wenzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.