Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Wuhu

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuhu: $687 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Wuhu
Learn more

Wuhu Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Wuhu

🇨🇳 China

$687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Wuhu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $687 in Wuhu.

Shenzhen $1,117
Wuhu $687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,106 in Wuhu.

Shenzhen $1,714
Wuhu $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,525 in Wuhu.

Shenzhen $2,310
Wuhu $1,525

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 63% more expensive than in Wuhu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Wuhu 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$2.53 ¥16.78

44.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$22.78 ¥151

29.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$3.36 ¥22.31

57.14%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$3.36 ¥22.34

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.65 ¥4.29

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.34 ¥2.23

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$1.22 ¥8.13

21.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$2.28 ¥15.17

-6.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.90 ¥12.61

-18.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.67 ¥11.07

-2.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.01 ¥6.73

12.87%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.62 ¥10.74

8.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$19.49 ¥130

6.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$3.78 ¥25.09

-9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$8.14 ¥54.1

77.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$1.76 ¥11.72

27.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.31 ¥8.68

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.49 ¥9.88

30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$1.55 ¥10.32

-8.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.92 ¥6.14

17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$0.99 ¥6.58

29.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.64 ¥4.25

-6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.57 ¥3.81

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$4.17 ¥27.68

6.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$7.43 ¥49.40

62.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.69 ¥4.56

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$1.22 ¥8.14

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.23 ¥1.53

91.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$17.17 ¥114

5.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.22 ¥8.10

25.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.30 ¥1.98

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$7.30 ¥48.52

0.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.27 ¥8.46

3.94%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$12.2K ¥81.3K

57.17%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$11.2K ¥74.7K

60.62%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$30.41 ¥202

112.99%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$4.96 ¥32.98

99.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$11.11 ¥73.9

47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$42.06 ¥279

16.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$15.20 ¥101

11.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$4.98 ¥33.07

46.18%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$585 ¥3,887

-8.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$35.6K ¥236.4K

-31.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$22.64 ¥150

146.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$29.62 ¥197

36.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$74.4 ¥495

-1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$44.77 ¥297

109.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$251 ¥1,668

199.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$192 ¥1,277

144.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$609 ¥4,044

203.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$363 ¥2,411

128.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$3,254 ¥21.6K

305.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$983 ¥6,530

559.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$825 ¥5,483

113.62%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Wuhu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Wuhu

$192 28% 59.2% $278

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Wuhu

$213 31% 14.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Wuhu

$77 11.2% 34.9% $41

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Wuhu

$85 12.4% 15.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Wuhu

$46 6.8% 49% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Wuhu

$52 7.6% 18.1% $12

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Wuhu

$21 3% 11% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $251 in Wuhu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $23 in Wuhu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $213 per month, with Wuhu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Wuhu

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,644,420

💱 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 Wuhu 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Wuhu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wuhu wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Wuhu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 2.1 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 $251 in Wuhu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Wuhu runs roughly 5% less than in Shenzhen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $585 in Wuhu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $687 in Wuhu versus $1,117 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Wuhu but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Wuhu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Expats usually find Wuhu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.