Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Zunyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zunyi: $714 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 Zunyi
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Zunyi Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Zunyi

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Zunyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $714 in Zunyi.

Shenzhen $1,138
Zunyi $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,133 in Zunyi.

Shenzhen $1,750
Zunyi $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,552 in Zunyi.

Shenzhen $2,362
Zunyi $1,552

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 59% more expensive than in Zunyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.82 ¥18.83

30.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$21.31 ¥143

38.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.74 ¥31.69

11.39%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$3.10 ¥20.71

5.48%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.46 ¥3.10

17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.27 ¥1.79

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.95 ¥6.37

61.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.12 ¥14.19

1.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.81 ¥12.10

-10.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.55 ¥10.38

4.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.97 ¥6.46

12.37%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.53 ¥10.25

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$13.07 ¥87.4

63.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.22 ¥21.54

7.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$10.41 ¥69.6

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.89 ¥12.61

23.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.20 ¥8.05

31.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.54 ¥10.27

26.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.10 ¥7.36

33.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.75 ¥5.01

44.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.90 ¥6.00

38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.59 ¥3.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.51 ¥3.40

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.12 ¥20.83

41.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$10.37 ¥69.3

13.11%

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

$1.66 ¥11.10

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.29 ¥1.94

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$16.75 ¥112

33.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.42 ¥9.51

2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.35 ¥2.35

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$6.58 ¥44.03

6.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.13 ¥7.57

18.58%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

0.39%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$16.9K ¥113.1K

7.28%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$44.30 ¥296

46.95%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$10.08 ¥67.4

1.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$11.57 ¥77.4

39.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$41.09 ¥275

18.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$13.79 ¥92.2

25.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$6.06 ¥40.54

23.93%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$332 ¥2,220

61.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

45.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$44.38 ¥297

23.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$30.52 ¥204

31.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$72.0 ¥481

0.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$73.4 ¥490

27.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$274 ¥1,835

179.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$190 ¥1,271

155.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$581 ¥3,883

241.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$358 ¥2,391

143.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,041 ¥20.3K

352.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$2,041 ¥13.6K

198.82%

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 Zunyi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Zunyi

$190 26.6% 60.9% $296

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Zunyi

$199 27.9% 20.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Zunyi

$99 13.9% 15.6% $18

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Zunyi

$86 12% 14% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Zunyi

$66 9.2% 27.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Zunyi

$53 7.5% 16.6% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Zunyi

$21 3% 25.2% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $274 in Zunyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $21.00 in Zunyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $199 per month, with Zunyi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Zunyi

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

6,606,675

💱 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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Shenzhen Zunyi 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min 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 Zunyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zunyi wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zunyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,706 in Shenzhen and $1,072 in Zunyi 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 $274 in Zunyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zunyi runs roughly 33% 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 $332 in Zunyi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $714 in Zunyi versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zunyi but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Zunyi 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 Zunyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.