Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baoji and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $740 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Baoji versus $1,096 in Shenzhen.

Baoji $740
Shenzhen $1,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,132 in Baoji versus $1,708 in Shenzhen.

Baoji $1,132
Shenzhen $1,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,523 in Baoji versus $2,320 in Shenzhen.

Baoji $1,523
Shenzhen $2,320

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Baoji 45% lower, Shenzhen 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.77 ¥18.45

$3.79 ¥25.21

-26.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.01 ¥79.9

$30.66 ¥204

-60.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.44 ¥29.54

$5.15 ¥34.27

-13.79%

Cappuccino

$2.08 ¥13.83

$3.36 ¥22.39

-38.10%

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

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.58 ¥3.85

-46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.77

$0.33 ¥2.16

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.84

$1.49 ¥9.91

-0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$2.16 ¥14.37

-29.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$1.62 ¥10.79

-8.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.24

$1.56 ¥10.38

8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.69

$1.14 ¥7.58

-25.44%

Eggs

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.65 ¥11.01

-43.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 ¥75.9

$21.13 ¥141

-46.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 ¥27.64

$3.53 ¥23.49

17.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 ¥68.6

$14.59 ¥97.2

-29.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$2.34 ¥15.60

-30.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.69

$1.62 ¥10.78

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.95 ¥13.00

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.52 ¥10.14

-13.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.25

$1.09 ¥7.25

-41.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.29 ¥8.61

-44.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.62 ¥4.12

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.60 ¥3.97

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 ¥22.37

$4.59 ¥30.58

-26.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.50 ¥63.3

$12.08 ¥80.4

-21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.34

$0.95 ¥6.35

-15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.32

$1.69 ¥11.24

0.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.43 ¥2.88

-32.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.90 ¥119

$17.78 ¥118

0.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$1.54 ¥10.26

-19.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.43 ¥2.84

-27.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 ¥30.58

$7.07 ¥47.05

-35.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.32 ¥8.80

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

-0.72%

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

$18.1K ¥120.5K

$18.4K ¥122.2K

-1.40%

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

$87.9 ¥585

$63.3 ¥421

38.89%

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

$6.22 ¥41.43

$9.87 ¥65.7

-36.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.85 ¥72.3

$16.37 ¥109

-33.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.03 ¥280

$48.08 ¥320

-12.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 ¥101

$16.89 ¥112

-10.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.75 ¥38.30

$7.63 ¥50.8

-24.64%

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

$686 ¥4,569

$540 ¥3,595

27.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.4K

$40.3K ¥268.2K

-56.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.32 ¥262

$56.1 ¥373

-29.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.13 ¥247

$40.63 ¥271

-8.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 ¥506

$71.7 ¥477

6.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 ¥600

$81.5 ¥543

10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 ¥1,915

$764 ¥5,088

-62.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ¥1,248

$454 ¥3,022

-58.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥4,032

$1,793 ¥11.9K

-66.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,409

$839 ¥5,586

-56.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,241 ¥21.6K

$13.5K ¥89.9K

-76.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 ¥12.7K

$6,628 ¥44.1K

-71.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥12.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Baoji: November 1, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baoji

$190 25.7%

Shenzhen

$252 23% 32.7% $62

Accommodation & Living

Baoji

$187 25.3%

Shenzhen

$454 41.4% 142% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Baoji

$109 14.7%

Shenzhen

$112 10.3% 3% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baoji

$105 14.2%

Shenzhen

$90 8.2% 14.7% $15

Eating Out

Baoji

$73 9.9%

Shenzhen

$101 9.3% 38.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Baoji

$54 7.2%

Shenzhen

$63 5.8% 18.3% $9.8

Getting Around

Baoji

$22 3%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 6.2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $288 in Baoji and $764 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Baoji vs $31 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $252 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baoji

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

Same time as Baoji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,438,000

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Baoji Shenzhen 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Baoji
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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

Baoji vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baoji is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,111 in Baoji and $1,644 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: $288 in Baoji versus $764 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $686 in Baoji versus $540 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baoji – a meal for two runs $12 versus $31 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $740 in Baoji versus $1,096 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baoji but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Baoji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.