Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bortala and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $734 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.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
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Bortala Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

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Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $734 in Bortala versus $1,096 in Shenzhen.

Bortala $734
Shenzhen $1,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,169 in Bortala versus $1,708 in Shenzhen.

Bortala $1,169
Shenzhen $1,708

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,605 in Bortala versus $2,320 in Shenzhen.

Bortala $1,605
Shenzhen $2,320

Living in Bortala costs roughly 33% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bortala 46% lower, Shenzhen 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.19

$3.79 ¥25.22

-20.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.36 ¥149

$30.66 ¥204

-27.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.37

$5.15 ¥34.28

-5.63%

Cappuccino

$2.71 ¥18.06

$3.36 ¥22.40

-19.35%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.58 ¥3.85

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.33 ¥2.17

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.49 ¥9.92

-27.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.74

$2.16 ¥14.38

-4.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ¥11.76

$1.62 ¥10.79

8.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$1.56 ¥10.38

2.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.64

$1.14 ¥7.58

-12.28%

Eggs

$1.66 ¥11.06

$1.65 ¥11.01

0.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 ¥88.2

$21.13 ¥141

-37.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.03

$3.53 ¥23.50

-1.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 ¥74.4

$14.59 ¥97.2

-23.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.47

$2.34 ¥15.60

-20.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$1.62 ¥10.78

-20.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.95 ¥13.01

-22.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.52 ¥10.14

-17.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$1.09 ¥7.25

-31.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$1.29 ¥8.61

-31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.86

$0.62 ¥4.12

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.60 ¥3.97

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥24.64

$4.59 ¥30.60

-19.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ¥74.5

$12.08 ¥80.4

-7.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$0.95 ¥6.36

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.44

$1.69 ¥11.24

-7.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.43 ¥2.88

-27.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.68 ¥118

$17.78 ¥118

-0.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$1.54 ¥10.26

-1.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.43 ¥2.84

-23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.50

$7.07 ¥47.07

2.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.32 ¥8.81

-4.55%

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

$19.5K ¥130.1K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

0.96%

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

$17.5K ¥116.4K

$18.4K ¥122.2K

-4.75%

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

$56.1 ¥374

$63.3 ¥422

-11.39%

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

$8.47 ¥56.4

$9.87 ¥65.7

-14.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.17 ¥74.4

$16.37 ¥109

-31.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.49 ¥276

$48.08 ¥320

-13.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 ¥101

$16.89 ¥113

-10.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ¥43.29

$7.63 ¥50.8

-14.81%

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

$439 ¥2,922

$540 ¥3,597

-18.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.3K

$40.3K ¥268.3K

-56.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.34 ¥289

$56.1 ¥374

-22.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 ¥218

$40.63 ¥271

-19.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 ¥491

$71.7 ¥478

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 ¥502

$81.5 ¥543

-7.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$291 ¥1,939

$764 ¥5,090

-61.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 ¥1,257

$454 ¥3,023

-58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 ¥4,013

$1,793 ¥11.9K

-66.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,475

$839 ¥5,589

-55.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 ¥21.2K

$13.5K ¥89.9K

-76.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,960 ¥13.1K

$6,628 ¥44.1K

-70.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$618 ¥4,116

$1,857 ¥12.4K

-66.72%

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 Bortala: 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

Bortala

$207 28.3%

Shenzhen

$252 23% 21.8% $45

Accommodation & Living

Bortala

$189 25.7%

Shenzhen

$454 41.4% 141% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Bortala

$101 13.8%

Shenzhen

$112 10.3% 11.1% $11

Eating Out

Bortala

$84 11.5%

Shenzhen

$101 9.3% 20.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bortala

$76 10.3%

Shenzhen

$90 8.2% 18.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bortala

$54 7.4%

Shenzhen

$63 5.8% 16.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Bortala

$22 3%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $291 in Bortala and $764 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: $22 in Bortala vs $31 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $252 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bortala

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Bortala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,706

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

Bortala Shenzhen 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bortala
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

Bortala vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Bortala. 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: $291 in Bortala versus $764 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $439 in Bortala 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 Bortala – a meal for two runs $22 versus $31 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Bortala wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.