Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $868 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$868

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suzhou and in Shenzhen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Suzhou and in Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $868 in Suzhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen.

Suzhou $868
Shenzhen $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,480 in Suzhou versus $1,741 in Shenzhen.

Suzhou $1,480
Shenzhen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,091 in Suzhou versus $2,352 in Shenzhen.

Suzhou $2,091
Shenzhen $2,352

Living in Suzhou costs roughly 23% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Suzhou 36% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.24 ¥28.37

$3.73 ¥24.93

13.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.34 ¥203

$29.92 ¥200

1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.26 ¥35.17

$5.36 ¥35.83

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ¥23.42

$3.39 ¥22.66

3.24%

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

$0.68 ¥4.56

$0.55 ¥3.67

23.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.35 ¥2.36

11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ¥14.67

$1.47 ¥9.84

48.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ¥29.29

$2.17 ¥14.50

101.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.59 ¥10.64

20.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.63 ¥10.88

19.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.14 ¥7.59

8.77%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.78

$1.78 ¥11.89

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.04 ¥121

$21.25 ¥142

-15.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ¥23.52

$3.45 ¥23.10

2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 ¥56.4

$14.69 ¥98.2

-42.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ¥13.46

$2.23 ¥14.94

-9.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$1.61 ¥10.73

-19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.29

$1.89 ¥12.67

-26.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.65

$1.41 ¥9.41

2.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.50

$1.04 ¥6.95

-35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.25 ¥8.36

-5.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.62

$0.56 ¥3.76

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.71

$0.61 ¥4.05

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.72

$4.38 ¥29.30

1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 ¥61.4

$11.72 ¥78.4

-21.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ¥7.44

$0.98 ¥6.53

13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥13.85

$1.83 ¥12.21

13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.57 ¥3.82

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.11 ¥295

$22.57 ¥151

95.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ¥11.87

$1.52 ¥10.15

17.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.38 ¥2.55

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.19 ¥68.1

$6.99 ¥46.71

45.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.90

$1.35 ¥9.02

-1.48%

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

$19.7K ¥132.0K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-0.29%

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

$18.0K ¥120.3K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

0.46%

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

$99.5 ¥665

$62.8 ¥420

58.52%

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

$13.18 ¥88.1

$10.25 ¥68.5

28.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.00 ¥73.6

$16.36 ¥109

-32.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.82 ¥226

$49.52 ¥331

-31.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.84 ¥126

$17.32 ¥116

8.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.15 ¥41.10

$7.64 ¥51.1

-19.50%

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

$1,229 ¥8,220

$526 ¥3,519

133.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ¥147.0K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

-10.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ¥342

$55.1 ¥369

-7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.28 ¥269

$39.99 ¥267

0.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 ¥552

$72.3 ¥484

14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 ¥583

$92.7 ¥620

-5.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 ¥3,056

$771 ¥5,158

-40.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 ¥1,305

$478 ¥3,195

-59.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 ¥7,159

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-46.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,974

$852 ¥5,696

-30.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,499 ¥36.8K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-59.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 ¥18.3K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-54.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,355 ¥9,058

$1,751 ¥11.7K

-22.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.35

5.37%

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

Last update for Suzhou: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suzhou

$221 25.4%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 13.9% $31

Accommodation & Living

Suzhou

$195 22.5%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 145% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suzhou

$124 14.2%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 27.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Suzhou

$118 13.5%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 0.5% $0.5

Eating Out

Suzhou

$116 13.3%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 12% $14

Getting Around

Suzhou

$49 5.7%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 42.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Suzhou

$46 5.3%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 40.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $457 in Suzhou and $771 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 29% 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 Suzhou vs $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $251 per month, with Suzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

Same time as Suzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,748,262

12,528,300

💱 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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Between locations

Suzhou Shenzhen 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Suzhou
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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

Suzhou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Shenzhen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $457 in Suzhou versus $771 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suzhou runs roughly 95% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,229 in Suzhou versus $526 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $868 in Suzhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou 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 Suzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.