Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bengbu and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
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Bengbu Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $666 in Bengbu versus $1,138 in Shenzhen.

Bengbu $666
Shenzhen $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,043 in Bengbu versus $1,750 in Shenzhen.

Bengbu $1,043
Shenzhen $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,420 in Bengbu versus $2,362 in Shenzhen.

Bengbu $1,420
Shenzhen $2,362

Living in Bengbu costs roughly 41% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bengbu 51% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 ¥15.42

$3.67 ¥24.53

-37.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.50 ¥70.2

$29.43 ¥197

-64.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ¥31.80

$5.28 ¥35.28

-9.85%

Cappuccino

$3.15 ¥21.08

$3.27 ¥21.83

-3.67%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$0.54 ¥3.63

-12.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.33 ¥2.20

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$1.53 ¥10.23

-5.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.74

$2.15 ¥14.38

2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$1.62 ¥10.85

34.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ¥6.82

$1.62 ¥10.85

-37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.85

$1.09 ¥7.27

-33.94%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.82

$1.71 ¥11.44

-22.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ¥69.7

$21.39 ¥143

-51.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.30

$3.45 ¥23.08

-11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥60.2

$14.25 ¥95.3

-36.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$2.34 ¥15.64

-35.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$1.58 ¥10.55

-32.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$1.95 ¥13.03

-22.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.47 ¥9.85

-46.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.08 ¥7.21

-42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$1.25 ¥8.35

-49.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ¥5.09

$0.59 ¥3.97

28.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.59 ¥3.95

-27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ¥19.56

$4.41 ¥29.47

-33.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 ¥40.82

$11.73 ¥78.4

-48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.11

$0.98 ¥6.57

-22.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$1.75 ¥11.69

-16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.63 ¥4.20

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.48 ¥137

$22.28 ¥149

-8.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.45 ¥9.71

11.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.39 ¥2.60

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.15 ¥61.2

$7.02 ¥46.93

30.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.66

$1.34 ¥8.97

-3.73%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

-1.15%

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

$16.6K ¥111.2K

$18.1K ¥121.4K

-8.33%

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

$36.70 ¥245

$65.1 ¥435

-43.63%

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

$5.39 ¥36.01

$10.25 ¥68.5

-47.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.07 ¥47.24

$16.17 ¥108

-56.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.28 ¥276

$48.78 ¥326

-15.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 ¥109

$17.24 ¥115

-5.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.07

$7.51 ¥50.2

-20.24%

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

$417 ¥2,788

$538 ¥3,596

-22.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ¥147.9K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-8.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.41 ¥290

$54.9 ¥367

-20.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 ¥226

$40.04 ¥268

-15.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥442

$72.4 ¥484

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ¥592

$93.4 ¥624

-5.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$768 ¥5,135

-61.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,209

$486 ¥3,248

-62.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 ¥3,920

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-70.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ¥2,334

$869 ¥5,813

-59.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,507 ¥23.4K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-74.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,194 ¥14.7K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-64.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$668 ¥4,468

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-61.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

3.35

2.09%

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

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bengbu

$181 27.2%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 169% $305

Groceries & Markets

Bengbu

$168 25.2%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 49.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Bengbu

$104 15.7%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 12.5% $13

Eating Out

Bengbu

$85 12.8%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 17.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bengbu

$53 8%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 19.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bengbu

$49 7.4%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 86.2% $42

Getting Around

Bengbu

$25 3.8%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 11.6% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Bengbu and $768 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 160% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11.00 in Bengbu vs $29.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $251 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Bengbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,296,408

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bengbu Shenzhen 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bengbu
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

Bengbu vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 160% lower in Shenzhen. 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: $294 in Bengbu versus $768 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $417 in Bengbu versus $538 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.