Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhoushan and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $623 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
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Zhoushan Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$623

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Zhoushan versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Zhoushan $623
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,008 in Zhoushan versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Zhoushan $1,008
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,394 in Zhoushan versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Zhoushan $1,394
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Zhoushan costs roughly 44% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhoushan 54% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 ¥22.16

$3.66 ¥24.39

-9.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.60 ¥124

$29.39 ¥196

-36.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ¥27.29

$5.28 ¥35.22

-22.54%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥19.71

$3.36 ¥22.38

-11.90%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.58 ¥3.85

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.36 ¥2.37

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.14

$1.48 ¥9.84

-47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.83

$2.14 ¥14.28

-9.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.03

$1.54 ¥10.24

16.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ¥14.59

$1.63 ¥10.86

34.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.82

$1.14 ¥7.61

-23.68%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.03

$1.75 ¥11.65

-39.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 ¥90.6

$20.74 ¥138

-34.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.20

$3.41 ¥22.75

2.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ¥73.8

$14.42 ¥96.1

-23.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.17

$2.25 ¥14.99

-32.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.17

$1.62 ¥10.80

-24.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.18

$1.94 ¥12.90

-21.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.11

$1.42 ¥9.48

-14.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$1.08 ¥7.22

-47.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$1.28 ¥8.53

-31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.60 ¥3.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.69

$0.56 ¥3.76

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 ¥35.71

$4.43 ¥29.55

20.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.10 ¥80.7

$12.08 ¥80.6

0.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$0.92 ¥6.16

-1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.39

$1.83 ¥12.17

18.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.44 ¥2.91

-34.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.22 ¥101

$18.05 ¥120

-15.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.53 ¥10.17

-3.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.83

$0.41 ¥2.75

2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 ¥60.2

$7.36 ¥49.06

22.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$1.32 ¥8.79

-11.36%

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

$19.8K ¥131.7K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

2.78%

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

$16.0K ¥106.4K

$18.0K ¥120.3K

-11.58%

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

$36.52 ¥243

$64.8 ¥432

-43.62%

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

$11.44 ¥76.3

$9.90 ¥66.0

15.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.66 ¥184

$16.40 ¥109

68.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.05 ¥167

$48.95 ¥326

-48.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ¥50.6

$16.95 ¥113

-55.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 ¥41.07

$7.28 ¥48.52

-15.38%

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

$447 ¥2,977

$537 ¥3,578

-16.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ¥109.7K

$24.4K ¥162.7K

-32.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.73 ¥231

$55.7 ¥372

-37.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.39 ¥143

$40.56 ¥270

-47.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.7 ¥431

$73.1 ¥487

-11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.75 ¥305

$93.9 ¥626

-51.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,218

$753 ¥5,018

-55.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ¥787

$471 ¥3,137

-74.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 ¥5,077

$1,847 ¥12.3K

-58.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 ¥1,806

$830 ¥5,534

-67.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,030 ¥20.2K

$13.2K ¥87.9K

-77.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 ¥13.3K

$6,479 ¥43.2K

-69.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$588 ¥3,921

$1,763 ¥11.8K

-66.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

3.35

-6.57%

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

Last update for Zhoushan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhoushan

$212 34%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 17.5% $37

Accommodation & Living

Zhoushan

$118 19%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 299% $353

Eating Out

Zhoushan

$85 13.7%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 18.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhoushan

$76 12.1%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 20.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Zhoushan

$75 12%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 58% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Zhoushan

$37 6%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 69.9% $26

Getting Around

Zhoushan

$20 3.2%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 17% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $333 in Zhoushan and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Zhoushan vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $249 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

Same time as Zhoushan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,157,817

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

On the map

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Between locations

Zhoushan Shenzhen 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhoushan
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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

Zhoushan vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoushan wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zhoushan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Zhoushan. 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: $333 in Zhoushan versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhoushan runs roughly 16% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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

For families, Zhoushan 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.

Expats usually find Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.