Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taizhou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taizhou 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 Taizhou and in Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Taizhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen.

Taizhou $774
Shenzhen $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,255 in Taizhou versus $1,741 in Shenzhen.

Taizhou $1,255
Shenzhen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,735 in Taizhou versus $2,352 in Shenzhen.

Taizhou $1,735
Shenzhen $2,352

Living in Taizhou costs roughly 32% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taizhou 43% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.76 ¥25.11

$3.73 ¥24.93

0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.85 ¥173

$29.92 ¥200

-13.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.32

$5.36 ¥35.83

-15.30%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.93

$3.39 ¥22.66

1.18%

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

$0.53 ¥3.57

$0.55 ¥3.67

-3.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.35 ¥2.36

-17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.47 ¥9.84

-20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.17 ¥14.50

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.47

$1.59 ¥10.64

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.63 ¥10.88

1.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.14 ¥7.59

-52.63%

Eggs

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.78 ¥11.89

-33.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.42 ¥130

$21.25 ¥142

-8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.50

$3.45 ¥23.10

6.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ¥68.0

$14.69 ¥98.2

-30.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.97

$2.23 ¥14.94

-46.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.61 ¥10.73

-17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.18

$1.89 ¥12.67

-19.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.77

$1.41 ¥9.41

14.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.04 ¥6.95

-28.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.25 ¥8.36

-25.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.54

$0.56 ¥3.76

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.61 ¥4.05

-4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 ¥28.19

$4.38 ¥29.30

-3.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 ¥90.3

$11.72 ¥78.4

15.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.98 ¥6.53

-56.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.98

$1.83 ¥12.21

-10.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.57 ¥3.82

-49.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$22.57 ¥151

-19.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$1.52 ¥10.15

-19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.38 ¥2.55

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.92

$6.99 ¥46.71

0.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$1.35 ¥9.02

-5.19%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-1.85%

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

$16.3K ¥109.0K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

-8.96%

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

$48.64 ¥325

$62.8 ¥420

-22.50%

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

$8.88 ¥59.4

$10.25 ¥68.5

-13.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.43 ¥76.4

$16.36 ¥109

-30.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.01 ¥274

$49.52 ¥331

-17.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$17.32 ¥116

-12.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ¥49.68

$7.64 ¥51.1

-2.75%

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

$564 ¥3,770

$526 ¥3,519

7.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K ¥238.0K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

45.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.06 ¥221

$55.1 ¥369

-40.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$39.99 ¥267

5.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ¥556

$72.3 ¥484

15.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ¥724

$92.7 ¥620

16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,999

$771 ¥5,158

-61.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,239

$478 ¥3,195

-61.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥4,277

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-67.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,543

$852 ¥5,696

-55.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 ¥22.9K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-74.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-67.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.35

4.48%

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

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taizhou

$223 28.9%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 12.5% $28

Accommodation & Living

Taizhou

$185 23.9%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 158% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Taizhou

$120 15.5%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 2.5% $3

Eating Out

Taizhou

$98 12.7%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 3.4% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taizhou

$69 8.9%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 29.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Taizhou

$56 7.2%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 16% $8.9

Getting Around

Taizhou

$22 2.9%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 26.4% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $299 in Taizhou and $771 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Taizhou vs $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $251 per month, with Taizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Taizhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

615,000

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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Taizhou Shenzhen 1,000 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

Taizhou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taizhou wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taizhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,162 in Taizhou and $1,696 in Shenzhen 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: $299 in Taizhou versus $771 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taizhou runs roughly 25% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $564 in Taizhou versus $526 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $774 in Taizhou versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taizhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Taizhou 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 Taizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.