Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zhoukou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoukou: $753 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhoukou
Learn more

Zhoukou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Zhoukou

🇨🇳 China

$753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zhoukou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $753 in Zhoukou.

Shenzhen $1,117
Zhoukou $753

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,195 in Zhoukou.

Shenzhen $1,714
Zhoukou $1,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,636 in Zhoukou.

Shenzhen $2,310
Zhoukou $1,636

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 48% more expensive than in Zhoukou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Zhoukou 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$3.95 ¥26.26

-7.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$22.27 ¥148

31.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$4.95 ¥32.92

6.67%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$3.33 ¥22.14

0.90%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.50 ¥3.33

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.38 ¥2.53

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$1.03 ¥6.83

43.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$2.20 ¥14.59

-2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.83 ¥12.15

-15.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.64 ¥10.87

-0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.93 ¥6.21

22.58%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.59 ¥10.54

10.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.30 ¥88.4

55.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$3.32 ¥22.07

2.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$11.05 ¥73.4

30.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$1.89 ¥12.59

19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.34 ¥8.93

20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.58 ¥10.48

22.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$1.47 ¥9.75

-3.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.80 ¥5.34

35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.06 ¥7.05

20.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$0.58 ¥3.86

3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.59 ¥3.95

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$3.41 ¥22.65

29.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$11.45 ¥76.1

5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$0.83 ¥5.51

10.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$1.76 ¥11.67

3.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.29 ¥1.92

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$18.09 ¥120

-0.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.56 ¥10.37

-1.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.36 ¥2.36

13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$6.17 ¥40.99

19.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.25 ¥8.33

5.60%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$18.3K ¥121.3K

5.30%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$17.9K ¥118.7K

1.03%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$56.7 ¥377

14.21%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$8.57 ¥56.9

15.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$12.55 ¥83.4

30.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$39.75 ¥264

23.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$16.34 ¥109

3.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$6.42 ¥42.64

13.40%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$447 ¥2,970

20.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$16.7K ¥110.8K

46.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$37.95 ¥252

46.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$31.56 ¥210

28.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$75.8 ¥503

-3.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$83.5 ¥555

12.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$282 ¥1,873

167.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$187 ¥1,246

151.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$670 ¥4,453

175.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$359 ¥2,388

130.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$2,776 ¥18.4K

374.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,825 ¥12.1K

254.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zhoukou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Zhoukou

$187 24.9% 60.2% $283

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Zhoukou

$210 27.9% 15.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Zhoukou

$103 13.7% 13.1% $15

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Zhoukou

$100 13.2% 1.3% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Zhoukou

$78 10.3% 14.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Zhoukou

$53 7% 17.2% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Zhoukou

$23 3% 3.4% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $282 in Zhoukou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Zhoukou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $210 per month, with Zhoukou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zhoukou

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

8,953,172

💱 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 Zhoukou 1,230 km ≈ 2 h 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 Zhoukou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoukou wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zhoukou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,675 in Shenzhen and $1,130 in Zhoukou 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $282 in Zhoukou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $447 in Zhoukou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhoukou – 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, Zhoukou 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.