Cost of Living in Shenzhen: Real Prices From 30 Videos

Shenzhen prices as they appear on camera: rent, food, transport and wages. It draws on 23 videos and 164 individual figures, covering Huiyang, Shenzhen, Shenzhen.

At a glance

monthly rent	$170	Shenzhen
one-bedroom apartment rent	$400 a month	Shenzhen
three-bedroom apartment monthly rent	around 1,000 American dollars a month	Shenzhen
two-bedroom apartment rent	two to four thousand dollars per month	Shenzhen

Food & drink

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
breakfast from street vendor	less than $1	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
street snack	$1	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
fast food meal	$2	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
bowl of beef noodles with sausage	2 dollars	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
black fungus	¥2.09	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
beef soup with rice noodles	$2.4	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
dumplings	$2–3	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
baozi and steamed buns	3rmb	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
coconut chicken soup veggie mix	¥3.24	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
three fried dumplings	three yuan and eighty cents	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Market Tour: Liantang Market Meat and Veggi…
egg pancake	six yuan	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Market Tour: Liantang Market Meat and Veggi…
chinese cold salad	¥8	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
chicken drumsticks 400g	¥8.03	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
yogurt	¥8.03	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
chicken steak	¥8.04	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
latte	9.9 yuan	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
longan fruit	¥10	Shenzhen	Apartment Hunting in Shenzhen: A Sister's Story of Home
shrimp	12.28 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
soft serve ice cream from robot	13	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
fish balls	¥14.36	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
medium portion of dumplings	¥16	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
beef and seafood changfen	20RMB	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Tour: 24 Hours in China's Tech Capital
drink via delivery app	20 room	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
drink at counter	30 ringi	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
iced coffee at Luckin Coffee	32 Chinese yuan	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
one pound of cuttlefish balls	seventy or eighty yuan	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Market Tour: Liantang Market Meat and Veggi…
monthly food and daily expenses for family	over 10,000 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…

Rent & housing

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
monthly rent	$170	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
one-bedroom apartment rent	$400 a month	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
monthly rent	$1,000 a month	Shenzhen	Chinese YouTuber Fact-Checks Viral Videos About Life in C…
three-bedroom apartment monthly rent	around 1,000 American dollars a month	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
two-bedroom apartment rent	two to four thousand dollars per month	Shenzhen	Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days
short-term apartment rent	2750 yuan	Shenzhen	Apartment Hunting in Shenzhen: A Sister's Story of Home
unfurnished apartment rent	8,000 RMB per month	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
monthly mortgage payment after early repayment	10,000 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
monthly mortgage payment	40,000 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
two-bedroom apartment purchase price	1.1 to 1.7 million dollars	Shenzhen	Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days
apartment current value	7 million RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
apartment purchase price	9 million RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…

Transport

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
subway ride for two adults	60 cents	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
train arrival interval	every 2 to 5 minutes	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
motorbike delivery time	6 minutes	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
robotaxi ride	11	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
didi ride	17	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
subway commute time	20 minutes	Shenzhen	Apartment Hunting in Shenzhen: A Sister's Story of Home
metro lines	20 lines	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
taxi ride 6 km	20	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
high-speed train ticket from huiyang to shenzhen north	25CNY	Huiyang, Shenzhen	Commuting from Huiyang to Shenzhen by High-Speed Train
drone delivery time	27 minutes	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
regional travel time	under 30 minutes	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
metro ride to city center	30 minutes	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
monthly transportation costs for family	less than $50	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
robot taxi ride	54 km an hour	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
driverless train speed	up to 120 km per hour	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
metro stations	more than 420 stations	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
metro network length	over 600 kilometers	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
monthly transportation cost	1,000 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
future metro network length	over 1,100 km	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
annual passengers	over 3 billion passengers annually	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network

Everyday goods

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
utility knife	one US cent	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
apple	¥1.25	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
bananas	¥1.32	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
tofu sheets	¥2.08	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
broccoli	¥3.25	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
corn	¥3.50	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
eggs	¥3.61	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
peanut milk	¥3.80	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
whole chicken	five bucks	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
tomatoes	¥5.31	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
tofu	¥5.65	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
wet wipes	6.90 RMB	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
2 stainless steel plates	¥7.80	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
purified water (5L)	¥9.80	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
clothespins	¥9.90	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
toilet cleaner	9.99 RMB	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
whole milk (1L)	¥13.80	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
matcha coffee	13.99 RMB	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
plastic wrap	15.90 RMB	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
bottled water ×12	¥18.78	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
toothpaste	19.99 RMB	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
bleach	21.90 RMB	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
item in store	$23	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
spa entry	about $26	Shenzhen	Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days
24 tissues	¥34.92	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
laundry detergent	39.99 RMB	Shenzhen	A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Pr…
item on shopping app	$50	Shenzhen	A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China
4 laundry detergents	¥53.50	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
total groceries	¥53.57	Shenzhen	A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
swimsuit	¥58.60	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
face masks (42 sheets)	¥67.70	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
t-shirt	¥70	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
bed sheets	¥70	Shenzhen	Apartment Hunting in Shenzhen: A Sister's Story of Home
black slippers	¥78.30	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
bed sheet	¥80	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
white slippers	¥81.80	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
Burberry bag	85	Shenzhen	Haggling for Watches and Bags in Shenzhen's Fake Markets
second-hand washing machine	100 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
NFL jersey	110	Shenzhen	Haggling for Watches and Bags in Shenzhen's Fake Markets
AirPods Max	120	Shenzhen	Haggling for Watches and Bags in Shenzhen's Fake Markets

Utilities

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
monthly Wi-Fi	around 29 American dollars	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
monthly water bill	40 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
monthly electricity	close to 100 bucks	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
monthly management fees	300 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
monthly electricity bill in summer	800 RMB	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…

Education

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
semester school fee including food for two kids	300 bucks	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
kindergarten annual cost	16,000 RMB per year	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…
after-school classes (English and calligraphy)	26,000 RMB per year	Shenzhen	Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily…

Healthcare

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
monthly health insurance for self and two kids	$90 a month	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget

Income & wages

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
monthly take-home salary	$947 monthly	Shenzhen	Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
monthly salary	less than $1,000 a month	Shenzhen	Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
monthly base pay as marketing manager	$3,500 a month	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
monthly teaching salary	around 4,000 American dollars a month	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
monthly total income with social media	over $4,500 a month	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
monthly salary	5,000 to 8,000	Shenzhen	Chinese YouTuber Fact-Checks Viral Videos About Life in C…
monthly salary after tax	6500Rmb($900) after tax	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen

Working hours

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
lunch break	one hour break	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
lunch break	one hour	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
editing hours at home	4-5 editing hours	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
sitting in office chair	5 hours	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
remaining work hours after lunch	5 hours	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
work hours	9 to 6	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
office hours	6:00PM	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
nap duration	30 minutes	Shenzhen	A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
lunch break	12:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.	Shenzhen	Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days
afternoon break	6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.	Shenzhen	Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days
work schedule	10:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.	Shenzhen	Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days

Other costs

Item	Amount	Place	Source video
average broadband speed in Shenzhen	about one gigabyte per second	Shenzhen	China's Smart Cities: The Reality of Urban Tech
Gangxia North metro lines	five metro lines	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
Shenzhen population in 2015	13-point-some million people	Shenzhen	China's Smart Cities: The Reality of Urban Tech
drone delivery service	15 minutes	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
Shenzhen population now	18 or 19, maybe even 20 million	Shenzhen	China's Smart Cities: The Reality of Urban Tech
Gangxia North station exits	23 exits	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
train journey duration	26 minutes	Huiyang, Shenzhen	Commuting from Huiyang to Shenzhen by High-Speed Train
Shenzhen population growth	40-fold	Shenzhen	China's Smart Cities: The Reality of Urban Tech
Shenzhen transformation	40 years	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
green screen photo	49RMB	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Tour: 24 Hours in China's Tech Capital
train journey distance	56 kilometers	Huiyang, Shenzhen	Commuting from Huiyang to Shenzhen by High-Speed Train
drone production share	70%	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
cuttlefish balls transferred to Alipay	113 yuan	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Market Tour: Liantang Market Meat and Veggi…
subway speed	120 km an hour	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
observation deck ticket on birthday	160	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Tour: 24 Hours in China's Tech Capital
observation deck ticket	200 RMB	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Food Tour: 24 Hours in China's Tech Capital
skyscrapers over 200m	over 200 m	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
Shenzhen special economic zone	1980	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
BYD overtaking Tesla	2024	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
Shenzhen GDP growth	11,452-fold	Shenzhen	China's Smart Cities: The Reality of Urban Tech
robotic legs	30,000 yuan	Shenzhen	Inside Shenzhen's Futuristic Huawei Store: Cars, Phones,…
Huaqiangbei stores	38,000 stores	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
luxury car	over $100,000	Shenzhen	Inside Shenzhen's Futuristic Huawei Store: Cars, Phones,…
Huaqiangbei employees	130,000 employees	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
Gangxia North station area	over 220,000 square meters	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
Huaqiangbei market size	70 million square meters	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
Shenzhen population	nearly 80 million	Shenzhen	Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
refurbished iPhone 17 price	half the price	Shenzhen	Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour

What stands out

The cheapest food recorded is breakfast from street vendor (less than $1), and the most expensive is monthly food and daily expenses for family at over 10,000 RMB.

Data sources

Every figure on this page was stated in one of the following videos. Follow a link to hear it in context.

• Shenzhen Food Tour: 24 Hours in China's Tech Capital
• A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
• A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
• Haggling for Watches and Bags in Shenzhen's Fake Markets
• Inside Shenzhen's Futuristic Huawei Store: Cars, Phones, Robots
• China's Smart Cities: The Reality of Urban Tech
• Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
• A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
• Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days
• Chinese YouTuber Fact-Checks Viral Videos About Life in China
• Shenzhen: Inside China's Futuristic City of Robots and EVs
• A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
• Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
• Commuting from Huiyang to Shenzhen by High-Speed Train
• Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
• Shenzhen's Drone Delivery and Robotaxis: A Tech Tour
• Shenzhen Food Market Tour: Liantang Market Meat and Veggie Stalls
• Shenzhen Metro: Inside China's 600km Driverless Network
• Apartment Hunting in Shenzhen: A Sister's Story of Home
• Inside a Shenzhen Family Apartment: Real Costs and Daily Life
• Shenzhen Tech Tour: Robot Taxis and Drone Delivery
• A Day in Shenzhen: Small Apartment Cooking and Walmart Prices
• A Single Woman's Daily Life in Shenzhen, China