Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhengzhou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhengzhou: $683 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Zhengzhou
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Zhengzhou Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Zhengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $683 in Zhengzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen.

Zhengzhou $683
Shenzhen $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,088 in Zhengzhou versus $1,750 in Shenzhen.

Zhengzhou $1,088
Shenzhen $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,492 in Zhengzhou versus $2,362 in Shenzhen.

Zhengzhou $1,492
Shenzhen $2,362

Living in Zhengzhou costs roughly 40% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhengzhou 49% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ¥14.54

$3.67 ¥24.53

-40.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.72 ¥112

$29.43 ¥197

-43.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 ¥30.54

$5.28 ¥35.28

-13.45%

Cappuccino

$2.41 ¥16.13

$3.27 ¥21.83

-26.30%

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

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.54 ¥3.63

5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.33 ¥2.20

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$1.53 ¥10.23

-42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.15 ¥14.38

-22.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.60

$1.62 ¥10.85

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥11.42

$1.62 ¥10.85

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.09 ¥7.27

-18.35%

Eggs

$0.98 ¥6.58

$1.71 ¥11.44

-42.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 ¥55.2

$21.39 ¥143

-61.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.15

$3.45 ¥23.08

-8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$14.25 ¥95.3

-26.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$2.34 ¥15.64

-36.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.93

$1.58 ¥10.55

-34.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.15

$1.95 ¥13.03

-45.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$1.47 ¥9.85

-20.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.08 ¥7.21

-37.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.91

$1.25 ¥8.35

-41.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.50

$0.59 ¥3.97

13.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$0.59 ¥3.95

20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ¥22.15

$4.41 ¥29.47

-24.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 ¥98.6

$11.73 ¥78.4

25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.32

$0.98 ¥6.57

-4.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.02

$1.75 ¥11.69

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ¥0.90

$0.63 ¥4.20

-79.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.6

$22.28 ¥149

-33.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$1.45 ¥9.71

0.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.39 ¥2.60

-20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.67

$7.02 ¥46.93

-49.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$1.34 ¥8.97

-5.22%

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

$19.2K ¥128.6K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

-0.99%

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

$17.4K ¥116.6K

$18.1K ¥121.4K

-3.93%

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

$70.2 ¥469

$65.1 ¥435

7.80%

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

$7.19 ¥48.08

$10.25 ¥68.5

-29.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$16.17 ¥108

-35.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 ¥273

$48.78 ¥326

-16.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.58 ¥90.8

$17.24 ¥115

-21.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 ¥40.17

$7.51 ¥50.2

-19.97%

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

$391 ¥2,614

$538 ¥3,596

-27.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ¥202.0K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

24.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.52 ¥291

$54.9 ¥367

-20.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 ¥224

$40.04 ¥268

-16.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥492

$72.4 ¥484

1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ¥469

$93.4 ¥624

-24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,436

$768 ¥5,135

-72.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,085

$486 ¥3,248

-66.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$574 ¥3,839

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-71.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,473

$869 ¥5,813

-57.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,825 ¥18.9K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-79.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-75.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$918 ¥6,137

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-47.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

3.35

-1.79%

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

Last update for Zhengzhou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhengzhou

$191 28%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 31.6% $60

Accommodation & Living

Zhengzhou

$162 23.8%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 200% $324

Clothing & Footwear

Zhengzhou

$99 14.5%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 18.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhengzhou

$88 12.9%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 4.1% $3.6

Eating Out

Zhengzhou

$71 10.4%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 40.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Zhengzhou

$53 7.7%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 20.8% $11

Getting Around

Zhengzhou

$18 2.7%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 52.7% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Zhengzhou and $768 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 89% 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: $17.00 in Zhengzhou vs $29.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $251 per month, with Zhengzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhengzhou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

Same time as Zhengzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,600,574

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

On the map

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Between locations

Zhengzhou Shenzhen 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhengzhou
Shenzhen

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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

Zhengzhou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhengzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhengzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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: $215 in Zhengzhou versus $768 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhengzhou runs roughly 50% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $391 in Zhengzhou versus $538 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $683 in Zhengzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhengzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Zhengzhou 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 Zhengzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.