Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zhongshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $695 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
Learn more

Zhongshan Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zhongshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $695 in Zhongshan.

Shenzhen $1,131
Zhongshan $695

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,110 in Zhongshan.

Shenzhen $1,741
Zhongshan $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,525 in Zhongshan.

Shenzhen $2,352
Zhongshan $1,525

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Zhongshan 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$3.01 ¥20.14

23.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$24.23 ¥162

23.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.45 ¥29.76

20.45%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.83 ¥18.91

19.79%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.47 ¥3.11

17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.91

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.77 ¥5.13

90.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.80 ¥12.05

20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.53 ¥10.26

3.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.64 ¥10.99

-0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.68 ¥4.56

67.65%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.24 ¥8.29

43.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$20.87 ¥140

1.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$2.80 ¥18.72

23.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$13.54 ¥90.5

8.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.14 ¥14.34

4.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.08 ¥7.20

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$0.68 ¥4.56

177.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.46 ¥9.76

-3.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.58 ¥3.89

79.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.72 ¥4.84

73.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.43 ¥2.86

30.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.53 ¥3.56

15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$2.93 ¥19.58

49.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$11.80 ¥78.9

-0.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.69 ¥4.62

42.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.81 ¥12.12

1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.29 ¥1.91

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$15.11 ¥101

49.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.45 ¥9.68

4.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.41 ¥2.75

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$7.01 ¥46.88

-0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.30 ¥8.70

3.85%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

0.87%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$18.2K ¥121.6K

-1.53%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$40.99 ¥274

53.11%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$10.15 ¥67.9

0.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$12.59 ¥84.2

29.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$67.0 ¥448

-26.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$7.62 ¥50.9

127.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$5.81 ¥38.88

31.50%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$317 ¥2,117

66.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$13.4K ¥89.4K

83.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$48.42 ¥324

13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$39.64 ¥265

0.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$59.9 ¥401

20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$75.5 ¥505

22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$210 ¥1,407

266.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$125 ¥834

283.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$376 ¥2,517

427.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$217 ¥1,453

292.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$2,531 ¥16.9K

439.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,509 ¥10.1K

298.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$956 ¥6,391

83.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zhongshan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Zhongshan

$125 17.9% 73.9% $353

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Zhongshan

$226 32.5% 10.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Zhongshan

$101 14.5% 14.1% $17

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Zhongshan

$82 11.8% 19.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Zhongshan

$64 9.2% 28.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Zhongshan

$79 11.3% 21.4% $14

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Zhongshan

$20 2.8% 30.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $210 in Zhongshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 83% 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: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $24.00 in Zhongshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $226 per month, with Zhongshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,209,600

💱 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 Zhongshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongshan wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhongshan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 83% 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: $771 in Shenzhen versus $210 in Zhongshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhongshan runs roughly 49% 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 $317 in Zhongshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $695 in Zhongshan versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhongshan but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Zhongshan 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 Zhongshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.