Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhoukou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoukou: $753 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zhoukou
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Zhoukou Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Zhoukou

🇨🇳 China

$753

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $753 in Zhoukou versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Zhoukou $753
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Zhoukou versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Zhoukou $1,195
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,636 in Zhoukou versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Zhoukou $1,636
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Zhoukou costs roughly 33% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhoukou 45% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.95 ¥26.30

$3.66 ¥24.34

7.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.27 ¥148

$29.39 ¥196

-24.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥32.97

$5.28 ¥35.16

-6.25%

Cappuccino

$3.33 ¥22.17

$3.36 ¥22.34

-0.89%

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

$0.50 ¥3.33

$0.58 ¥3.84

-13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$0.36 ¥2.37

5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.83

$1.48 ¥9.82

-30.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ¥14.61

$2.14 ¥14.26

2.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 ¥12.17

$1.54 ¥10.22

18.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.89

$1.63 ¥10.84

0.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.14 ¥7.60

-18.42%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.55

$1.75 ¥11.63

-9.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.30 ¥88.5

$20.74 ¥138

-35.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 ¥22.10

$3.41 ¥22.71

-2.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ¥73.5

$14.42 ¥96.0

-23.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.60

$2.25 ¥14.96

-16.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.94

$1.62 ¥10.79

-17.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.49

$1.94 ¥12.88

-18.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$1.42 ¥9.47

3.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.35

$1.08 ¥7.20

-25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.06

$1.28 ¥8.52

-17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.60 ¥3.97

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.56 ¥3.75

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$4.43 ¥29.49

-23.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.45 ¥76.2

$12.08 ¥80.4

-5.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$0.92 ¥6.15

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.69

$1.83 ¥12.15

-3.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.44 ¥2.90

-34.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.09 ¥120

$18.05 ¥120

0.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$1.53 ¥10.15

1.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.41 ¥2.75

-12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 ¥41.04

$7.36 ¥48.97

-16.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.32 ¥8.77

-5.30%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

-5.03%

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

$17.9K ¥118.8K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

-1.02%

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

$56.7 ¥377

$64.8 ¥431

-12.44%

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

$8.57 ¥57.0

$9.90 ¥65.9

-13.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.55 ¥83.5

$16.40 ¥109

-23.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.75 ¥265

$48.95 ¥326

-18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.34 ¥109

$16.95 ¥113

-3.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 ¥42.69

$7.28 ¥48.43

-11.81%

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

$447 ¥2,974

$537 ¥3,571

-16.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.0K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-31.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.95 ¥252

$55.7 ¥371

-31.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.56 ¥210

$40.56 ¥270

-22.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ¥504

$73.1 ¥486

3.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ¥556

$93.9 ¥624

-11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 ¥1,876

$753 ¥5,009

-62.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ¥1,247

$471 ¥3,131

-60.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 ¥4,458

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-63.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ¥2,391

$830 ¥5,523

-56.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,776 ¥18.5K

$13.2K ¥87.7K

-78.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 ¥12.1K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-71.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.35

0.30%

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

Last update for Zhoukou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhoukou

$210 27.9%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 18.5% $39

Accommodation & Living

Zhoukou

$187 24.9%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 151% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Zhoukou

$103 13.7%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 15% $15

Eating Out

Zhoukou

$100 13.2%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 1.3% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhoukou

$78 10.3%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 17% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Zhoukou

$53 7%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 20.8% $11

Getting Around

Zhoukou

$23 3%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 3.5% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Zhoukou and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Zhoukou vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $249 per month, with Zhoukou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhoukou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

Same time as Zhoukou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,953,172

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Zhoukou Shenzhen 1,230 km ≈ 2 h 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

Zhoukou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoukou wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zhoukou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,130 in Zhoukou and $1,675 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: $282 in Zhoukou versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $447 in Zhoukou versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhoukou – a meal for two runs $22 versus $29 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Zhoukou 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.