Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baotou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Baotou vs $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Baotou $768
Shenzhen $1,096

A couple spends around $1,240 per month in Baotou vs $1,708 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Baotou $1,240
Shenzhen $1,708

A family of three spends $1,711 per month in Baotou vs $2,320 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Baotou $1,711
Shenzhen $2,320

Baotou is about 30% cheaper than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Baotou and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Baotou 43% lower, Shenzhen 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 ¥35.58

$3.79 ¥25.21

40.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.87 ¥152

$30.66 ¥204

-25.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 ¥64.2

$5.15 ¥34.27

87.18%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ¥18.13

$3.36 ¥22.39

-19.05%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.58 ¥3.85

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.29

$0.33 ¥2.16

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.31

$1.49 ¥9.91

-26.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$2.16 ¥14.37

-12.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.31

$1.62 ¥10.79

14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$1.56 ¥10.38

-10.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.44

$1.14 ¥7.58

-41.23%

Eggs

$2.42 ¥16.14

$1.65 ¥11.01

46.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 ¥99.6

$21.13 ¥141

-29.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 ¥23.69

$3.53 ¥23.49

0.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ¥75.8

$14.59 ¥97.2

-22.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.09

$2.34 ¥15.60

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.62 ¥10.78

-18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.99

$1.95 ¥13.00

-23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.34

$1.52 ¥10.14

-7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$1.09 ¥7.25

-31.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.69

$1.29 ¥8.61

-21.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.62 ¥4.12

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$0.60 ¥3.97

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ¥28.69

$4.59 ¥30.58

-6.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 ¥70.1

$12.08 ¥80.4

-12.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.86

$0.95 ¥6.35

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$1.69 ¥11.24

-7.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.43 ¥2.88

-32.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.98 ¥133

$17.78 ¥118

12.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ¥7.06

$1.54 ¥10.26

-31.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.33

$0.43 ¥2.84

-18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 ¥44.64

$7.07 ¥47.05

-5.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.76

$1.32 ¥8.80

-11.36%

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

$21.7K ¥144.8K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

12.41%

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

$15.1K ¥100.5K

$18.4K ¥122.2K

-17.76%

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

$57.6 ¥384

$63.3 ¥421

-9.00%

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

$8.74 ¥58.2

$9.87 ¥65.7

-11.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.50 ¥63.3

$16.37 ¥109

-41.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.10 ¥314

$48.08 ¥320

-2.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 ¥87.7

$16.89 ¥112

-21.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.42 ¥36.06

$7.63 ¥50.8

-28.96%

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

$474 ¥3,157

$540 ¥3,595

-12.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K ¥150.9K

$40.3K ¥268.2K

-43.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.30 ¥288

$56.1 ¥373

-22.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.84 ¥239

$40.63 ¥271

-11.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ¥501

$71.7 ¥477

5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 ¥596

$81.5 ¥543

9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,817

$764 ¥5,088

-64.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ¥1,130

$454 ¥3,022

-62.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,967

$1,793 ¥11.9K

-66.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,410

$839 ¥5,586

-56.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,430 ¥22.8K

$13.5K ¥89.9K

-74.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,646 ¥11.0K

$6,628 ¥44.1K

-75.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$669 ¥4,454

$1,857 ¥12.4K

-63.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

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

Last update for Baotou: October 31, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baotou

$214 27.8%

Shenzhen

$252 23% 18.1% $39

Accommodation & Living

Baotou

$170 22.1%

Shenzhen

$454 41.4% 167% $284

Eating Out

Baotou

$117 15.2%

Shenzhen

$101 9.3% 13.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Baotou

$110 14.3%

Shenzhen

$112 10.3% 2.5% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baotou

$76 9.9%

Shenzhen

$90 8.2% 18% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Baotou

$58 7.6%

Shenzhen

$63 5.8% 9.3% $5.4

Getting Around

Baotou

$24 3.1%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 3.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $273 in Baotou versus $764 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Baotou versus $31 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $252 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baotou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

Same time as Baotou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,709,378

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

On the map

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Between locations

Baotou Shenzhen 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Baotou
Shenzhen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Baotou vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $768 in Baotou, $1,096 in Shenzhen – Baotou comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,152 per month in Baotou and $1,644 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baotou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $273 there versus $764 in Shenzhen.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Shenzhen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Baotou and $31 in Shenzhen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Baotou. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.