Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $751 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
Learn more

Beihai Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Beihai

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 Beihai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,117 per month in Shenzhen vs $751 in Beihai, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,117
Beihai $751

A couple spends around $1,714 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,202 in Beihai, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,714
Beihai $1,202

A family of three spends $2,310 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,653 in Beihai, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,310
Beihai $1,653

Shenzhen costs about 49% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Beihai are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 18% lower, Beihai 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$3.39 ¥22.53

7.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$21.37 ¥142

37.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.17

$5.26 ¥35.03

0.38%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.61 ¥17.34

28.74%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.53 ¥3.55

9.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.26 ¥1.75

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$0.99 ¥6.62

49.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.04 ¥13.56

4.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.92 ¥12.80

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.55 ¥10.29

5.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.09 ¥7.24

4.59%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.86 ¥12.37

-5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$13.67 ¥91.0

51.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$2.96 ¥19.73

15.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$11.04 ¥73.5

30.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.96 ¥13.04

14.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.44 ¥9.55

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.37 ¥9.13

41.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$1.14 ¥7.60

24.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.80 ¥5.29

35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.84 ¥5.61

52.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.60 ¥3.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.55 ¥3.67

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$4.28 ¥28.45

3.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$10.64 ¥70.8

13.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.76 ¥5.06

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.52 ¥10.12

20.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.31 ¥2.06

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$18.87 ¥126

-4.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$1.36 ¥9.04

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.29 ¥1.95

41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.98

$6.41 ¥42.67

14.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.45 ¥9.62

-8.97%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$20.1K ¥133.7K

-4.30%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$15.7K ¥104.6K

14.81%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$56.6 ¥377

14.39%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$9.10 ¥60.6

8.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$11.34 ¥75.5

44.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$41.57 ¥277

17.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$13.34 ¥88.8

27.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$6.82 ¥45.37

6.74%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$486 ¥3,236

10.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$20.1K ¥133.9K

21.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$42.19 ¥281

32.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$28.87 ¥192

40.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$75.9 ¥505

-3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$76.3 ¥508

22.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,010

$324 ¥2,156

132.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$203 ¥1,348

132.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$618 ¥4,115

198.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,525

$418 ¥2,782

98.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.8K

$3,575 ¥23.8K

268.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,823 ¥12.1K

255.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Beihai

$203 27% 56.9% $268

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Beihai

$206 27.5% 17.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Beihai

$100 13.4% 15.2% $18

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Beihai

$86 11.5% 14.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Beihai

$77 10.3% 15.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Beihai

$55 7.4% 13.1% $8.3

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Beihai

$23 3.1% 1.9% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Shenzhen versus $324 in Beihai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen versus $21 in Beihai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $206 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,617,500

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Shenzhen Beihai 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Shenzhen
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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 Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 49% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,675 per month in Shenzhen and $1,126 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $324 there versus $753 in Shenzhen.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Shenzhen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Shenzhen and $21 in Beihai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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