Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Yangshuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangshuo: $713 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Yangshuo
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Yangshuo Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Yangshuo

🇨🇳 China

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Yangshuo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $713 in Yangshuo.

Shenzhen $1,138
Yangshuo $713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,130 in Yangshuo.

Shenzhen $1,750
Yangshuo $1,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,548 in Yangshuo.

Shenzhen $2,362
Yangshuo $1,548

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 60% more expensive than in Yangshuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Yangshuo 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.80 ¥18.73

31.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$21.83 ¥146

34.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.91 ¥32.80

7.54%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$3.06 ¥20.45

6.86%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.47 ¥3.12

14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.29 ¥1.95

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.90 ¥5.99

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.04 ¥13.62

5.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.82 ¥12.14

-10.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.60 ¥10.68

1.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.95 ¥6.33

14.74%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.54 ¥10.29

11.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$12.67 ¥84.7

68.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.14 ¥20.99

9.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$10.02 ¥67.0

42.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.87 ¥12.49

25.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.20 ¥8.02

31.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.48 ¥9.88

31.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.15 ¥7.70

27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.70 ¥4.67

54.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.91 ¥6.10

37.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.60 ¥4.03

-1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.51 ¥3.41

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.04 ¥20.34

45.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$10.74 ¥71.8

9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.80 ¥5.38

22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.65 ¥11.01

6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.29 ¥1.94

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$16.88 ¥113

31.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.35 ¥9.05

7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.33 ¥2.18

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$6.61 ¥44.22

6.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.18 ¥7.91

13.56%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.3K ¥129.1K

0.60%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$17.4K ¥116.2K

4.47%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$45.58 ¥305

42.83%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$9.73 ¥65.0

5.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$11.52 ¥77.0

40.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$41.10 ¥275

18.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$13.85 ¥92.6

24.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$5.87 ¥39.27

27.94%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$339 ¥2,270

58.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$17.0K ¥113.8K

42.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$44.49 ¥297

23.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$30.94 ¥207

29.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$72.5 ¥485

-0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$71.1 ¥475

31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$280 ¥1,870

174.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$191 ¥1,274

154.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$581 ¥3,881

241.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$358 ¥2,394

142.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,087 ¥20.6K

345.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$1,990 ¥13.3K

206.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.89

-13.88%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Yangshuo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Yangshuo

$191 26.8% 60.8% $295

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Yangshuo

$197 27.7% 21.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Yangshuo

$99 13.8% 16% $19

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Yangshuo

$85 12% 14.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Yangshuo

$67 9.4% 27% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Yangshuo

$53 7.4% 17.2% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Yangshuo

$21 3% 25.4% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $280 in Yangshuo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $22.00 in Yangshuo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $197 per month, with Yangshuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Yangshuo

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

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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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 Yangshuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yangshuo wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yangshuo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,706 in Shenzhen and $1,069 in Yangshuo 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: $768 in Shenzhen versus $280 in Yangshuo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Yangshuo runs roughly 32% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $339 in Yangshuo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $713 in Yangshuo versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Yangshuo but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Yangshuo 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.

Safety-wise, Shenzhen and Yangshuo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Yangshuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.