Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zhoushan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $623 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
Learn more

Zhoushan Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zhoushan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $623 in Zhoushan.

Shenzhen $1,117
Zhoushan $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,008 in Zhoushan.

Shenzhen $1,714
Zhoushan $1,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,394 in Zhoushan.

Shenzhen $2,310
Zhoushan $1,394

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 79% more expensive than in Zhoushan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Zhoushan 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.39

$3.32 ¥22.16

10.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$18.60 ¥124

58.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.22

$4.09 ¥27.29

29.10%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.38

$2.96 ¥19.71

13.51%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.47 ¥3.10

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.27 ¥1.81

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.84

$0.77 ¥5.14

92.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.28

$1.93 ¥12.83

10.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.24

$1.80 ¥12.03

-14.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.86

$2.19 ¥14.59

-25.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.61

$0.87 ¥5.82

31.03%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.65

$1.06 ¥7.03

65.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.59 ¥90.6

52.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.75

$3.48 ¥23.20

-2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.1

$11.07 ¥73.8

30.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.99

$1.53 ¥10.17

47.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$1.23 ¥8.17

31.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.90

$1.53 ¥10.18

26.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$1.22 ¥8.11

16.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.22

$0.57 ¥3.82

89.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$0.88 ¥5.87

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.60 ¥3.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.55 ¥3.69

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.55

$5.36 ¥35.71

-17.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.6

$12.10 ¥80.7

-0.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$0.91 ¥6.09

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.17

$2.16 ¥14.39

-15.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.91

$0.29 ¥1.92

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$15.22 ¥101

18.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.17

$1.48 ¥9.88

3.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.42 ¥2.83

-2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥49.06

$9.04 ¥60.2

-18.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.17 ¥7.83

12.82%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$19.8K ¥131.7K

-2.71%

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

$18.0K ¥120.3K

$16.0K ¥106.4K

13.09%

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

$64.8 ¥432

$36.52 ¥243

77.35%

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

$9.90 ¥66.0

$11.44 ¥76.3

-13.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$27.66 ¥184

-40.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$25.05 ¥167

95.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$7.59 ¥50.6

123.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.52

$6.16 ¥41.07

18.18%

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

$537 ¥3,578

$447 ¥2,977

20.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.7K

$16.5K ¥109.7K

48.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥372

$34.73 ¥231

60.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$21.39 ¥143

89.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥487

$64.7 ¥431

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥626

$45.75 ¥305

105.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,018

$333 ¥2,218

126.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,137

$118 ¥787

298.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$762 ¥5,077

142.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,534

$271 ¥1,806

206.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.9K

$3,030 ¥20.2K

335.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.2K

$1,988 ¥13.3K

225.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.8K

$588 ¥3,921

199.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.13

7.03%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zhoushan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Zhoushan

$118 19% 74.9% $353

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Zhoushan

$212 34% 14.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Zhoushan

$75 12% 36.7% $44

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Zhoushan

$85 13.7% 15.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Zhoushan

$76 12.1% 17% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Zhoushan

$37 6% 41.2% $26

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Zhoushan

$20 3.2% 14.5% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $333 in Zhoushan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $19 in Zhoushan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $212 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,157,817

💱 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 Zhoushan 1,160 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 Zhoushan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoushan wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zhoushan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 3 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 $333 in Zhoushan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhoushan runs roughly 16% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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

For families, Zhoushan 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.

Expats usually find Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.