Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zhuhai

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuhai: $787 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhuhai
Learn more

Zhuhai Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zhuhai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,096 in Shenzhen versus $787 in Zhuhai.

Shenzhen $1,096
Zhuhai $787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,708 in Shenzhen versus $1,308 in Zhuhai.

Shenzhen $1,708
Zhuhai $1,308

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,320 in Shenzhen versus $1,828 in Zhuhai.

Shenzhen $2,320
Zhuhai $1,828

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 39% more expensive than in Zhuhai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 19% lower, Zhuhai 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ¥25.22

$2.74 ¥18.27

38.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.66 ¥204

$30.04 ¥200

2.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥34.28

$5.23 ¥34.82

-1.53%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.40

$3.19 ¥21.22

5.33%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.50 ¥3.34

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.17

$0.32 ¥2.16

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.23 ¥8.16

21.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.38

$2.16 ¥14.39

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.58 ¥10.49

2.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$1.31 ¥8.70

19.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.14 ¥7.60

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.01

$1.64 ¥10.89

0.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.13 ¥141

$4.30 ¥28.62

391.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 ¥23.50

$2.29 ¥15.23

54.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.59 ¥97.2

$3.87 ¥25.77

277.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.60

$1.31 ¥8.70

78.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$0.58 ¥3.83

179.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.01

$0.44 ¥2.91

343.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.47 ¥9.78

3.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.73 ¥4.88

49.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.47 ¥3.11

174.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.29 ¥1.91

113.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.44 ¥2.93

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.59

$2.95 ¥19.64

55.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$3.72 ¥24.81

224.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.36

$0.58 ¥3.88

63.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.24

$1.78 ¥11.86

-5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.15 ¥0.98

186.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

$9.11 ¥60.7

95.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.47 ¥9.79

4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$0.38 ¥2.51

13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 ¥47.07

$7.24 ¥48.22

-2.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.25 ¥8.32

5.60%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$15.5K ¥103.2K

24.84%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$13.6K ¥90.8K

34.66%

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

$63.3 ¥422

$57.0 ¥380

11.03%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$9.84 ¥65.5

0.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.37 ¥109

$16.64 ¥111

-1.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 ¥320

$82.8 ¥551

-41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.89 ¥112

$32.05 ¥213

-47.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ¥50.8

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

$540 ¥3,596

$525 ¥3,494

2.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.2K

$40.3K ¥268.4K

-0.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥374

$29.72 ¥198

88.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 ¥271

$40.26 ¥268

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ¥478

$73.5 ¥489

-2.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ¥543

$82.6 ¥550

-1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,090

$438 ¥2,918

74.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,023

$283 ¥1,882

60.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 ¥11.9K

$905 ¥6,026

98.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 ¥5,588

$655 ¥4,359

28.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥89.9K

$4,619 ¥30.8K

192.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,628 ¥44.1K

$2,911 ¥19.4K

127.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥12.4K

$1,072 ¥7,136

73.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zhuhai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$454 41.4%

Zhuhai

$283 35.9% 37.7% $171

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$252 23%

Zhuhai

$118 15.1% 53.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$112 10.3%

Zhuhai

$102 12.9% 9.5% $11

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9.3%

Zhuhai

$90 11.4% 11.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8.2%

Zhuhai

$83 10.6% 6.8% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$63 5.8%

Zhuhai

$98 12.5% 54.8% $35

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Zhuhai

$13 1.7% 43.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $764 in Shenzhen and $438 in Zhuhai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Shenzhen vs $30 in Zhuhai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $118 per month, with Zhuhai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,207,090

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Shenzhen Zhuhai 58 km

From you

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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 Zhuhai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhuhai wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zhuhai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 73% 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: $764 in Shenzhen versus $438 in Zhuhai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhuhai runs roughly 49% less than in Shenzhen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $540 in Shenzhen versus $525 in Zhuhai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, Zhuhai 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 Zhuhai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.