Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qinhuangdao and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,131 in Shenzhen.

Qinhuangdao $714
Shenzhen $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,135 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,741 in Shenzhen.

Qinhuangdao $1,135
Shenzhen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,556 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,352 in Shenzhen.

Qinhuangdao $1,556
Shenzhen $2,352

Living in Qinhuangdao costs roughly 37% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Qinhuangdao 47% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.36

$3.73 ¥24.82

-26.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.79 ¥145

$29.92 ¥199

-27.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 ¥32.50

$5.36 ¥35.67

-8.96%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.24

$3.39 ¥22.56

-10.32%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.55 ¥3.66

-14.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.35 ¥2.35

-22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.47 ¥9.80

-37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.18

$2.17 ¥14.44

-1.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.31

$1.59 ¥10.60

16.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$1.63 ¥10.83

-4.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.14 ¥7.56

-21.93%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.20

$1.78 ¥11.83

-14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.05 ¥86.9

$21.25 ¥141

-38.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ¥20.71

$3.45 ¥23.00

-9.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 ¥68.8

$14.69 ¥97.8

-29.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.46

$2.23 ¥14.87

-16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.61 ¥10.69

-22.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$1.89 ¥12.61

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.63

$1.41 ¥9.37

-18.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.04 ¥6.92

-29.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$1.25 ¥8.32

-24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.56 ¥3.74

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.41

$0.61 ¥4.03

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ¥20.32

$4.38 ¥29.17

-30.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 ¥71.2

$11.72 ¥78.0

-8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.25

$0.98 ¥6.50

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.89

$1.83 ¥12.15

-10.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.57 ¥3.80

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.97 ¥113

$22.57 ¥150

-24.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$1.52 ¥10.11

-6.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.38 ¥2.54

-13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.62 ¥44.04

$6.99 ¥46.50

-5.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.35 ¥8.98

-15.56%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-3.01%

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

$17.1K ¥113.8K

$17.9K ¥119.2K

-4.55%

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

$44.64 ¥297

$62.8 ¥418

-28.87%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$10.25 ¥68.2

-3.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.90 ¥79.2

$16.36 ¥109

-27.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥281

$49.52 ¥330

-14.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 ¥93.8

$17.32 ¥115

-18.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ¥38.55

$7.64 ¥50.8

-24.21%

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

$337 ¥2,244

$526 ¥3,503

-35.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.2K

$24.5K ¥163.3K

-30.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.18 ¥294

$55.1 ¥367

-19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.35 ¥202

$39.99 ¥266

-24.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ¥478

$72.3 ¥482

-0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥470

$92.7 ¥617

-23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,835

$771 ¥5,135

-64.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,272

$478 ¥3,181

-60.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 ¥3,998

$1,984 ¥13.2K

-69.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,413

$852 ¥5,671

-57.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥20.4K

$13.6K ¥90.8K

-77.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 ¥13.8K

$6,013 ¥40.0K

-65.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.35

16.12%

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

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 26.3% $52

Accommodation & Living

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 150% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 19.9% $19

Eating Out

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 19.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 34.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 20.6% $11

Getting Around

Qinhuangdao

$21 3%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 34% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $276 in Qinhuangdao and $771 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Qinhuangdao vs $30 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $251 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

Same time as Qinhuangdao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,987,605

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

Qinhuangdao Shenzhen 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Qinhuangdao
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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

Qinhuangdao vs Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qinhuangdao and Shenzhen differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($714 vs $1,131 including rent). Qinhuangdao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,071 in Qinhuangdao and $1,696 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: $276 in Qinhuangdao versus $771 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Qinhuangdao – a meal for two runs $22 versus $30 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Qinhuangdao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.