Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Baotou

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.

53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
Learn more

Baotou Living Index

Jump to prices

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Baotou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shenzhen and in Baotou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Shenzhen $1,096
Baotou $768

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

Shenzhen $1,708
Baotou $1,240

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

Shenzhen $2,320
Baotou $1,711

Shenzhen costs about 43% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ¥25.21

$5.34 ¥35.58

-29.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.66 ¥204

$22.87 ¥152

34.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥34.27

$9.64 ¥64.2

-46.58%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.39

$2.72 ¥18.13

23.53%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.47 ¥3.15

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.16

$0.34 ¥2.29

-2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.10 ¥7.31

35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.37

$1.88 ¥12.52

14.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.85 ¥12.31

-12.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$1.39 ¥9.23

12.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$0.67 ¥4.44

70.15%

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.01

$2.42 ¥16.14

-31.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.13 ¥141

$14.96 ¥99.6

41.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 ¥23.49

$3.56 ¥23.69

-0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.59 ¥97.2

$11.38 ¥75.8

28.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.60

$1.82 ¥12.09

28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$1.32 ¥8.76

22.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.00

$1.50 ¥9.99

30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.40 ¥9.34

8.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.75 ¥5.01

45.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$1.01 ¥6.69

27.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.56 ¥3.75

10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.59 ¥3.93

1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.58

$4.31 ¥28.69

6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$10.53 ¥70.1

14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.35

$0.88 ¥5.86

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.24

$1.57 ¥10.48

7.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.29 ¥1.93

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

$19.98 ¥133

-11.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.06 ¥7.06

45.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$0.35 ¥2.33

22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 ¥47.05

$6.70 ¥44.64

5.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.17 ¥7.76

12.82%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$21.7K ¥144.8K

-11.04%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$15.1K ¥100.5K

21.60%

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

$63.3 ¥421

$57.6 ¥384

9.90%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$8.74 ¥58.2

12.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.37 ¥109

$9.50 ¥63.3

72.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 ¥320

$47.10 ¥314

2.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.89 ¥112

$13.18 ¥87.7

28.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ¥50.8

$5.42 ¥36.06

40.77%

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

$540 ¥3,595

$474 ¥3,157

13.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.2K

$22.7K ¥150.9K

77.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥373

$43.30 ¥288

29.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 ¥271

$35.84 ¥239

13.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ¥477

$75.3 ¥501

-4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ¥543

$89.5 ¥596

-8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,088

$273 ¥1,817

180.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,022

$170 ¥1,130

167.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 ¥11.9K

$596 ¥3,967

200.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 ¥5,586

$362 ¥2,410

131.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥89.9K

$3,430 ¥22.8K

293.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,628 ¥44.1K

$1,646 ¥11.0K

302.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥12.4K

$669 ¥4,454

177.57%

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 Shenzhen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$454 41.4%

Baotou

$170 22.1% 62.6% $284

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$252 23%

Baotou

$214 27.8% 15.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$112 10.3%

Baotou

$110 14.3% 2.4% $2.7

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9.3%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 15.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8.2%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 15.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$63 5.8%

Baotou

$58 7.6% 8.5% $5.4

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Baotou

$24 3.1% 3.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $764 in Shenzhen versus $273 in Baotou. 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 $31 in Shenzhen versus $23 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $214 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,709,378

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shenzhen Baotou 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Baotou

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

Shenzhen vs Baotou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,644 per month in Shenzhen and $1,152 in Baotou. 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 $31 in Shenzhen and $23 in Baotou. 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.