Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Bengbu

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.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
Learn more

Bengbu Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Bengbu

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

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

Shenzhen $1,138
Bengbu $666

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

Shenzhen $1,750
Bengbu $1,043

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

Shenzhen $2,362
Bengbu $1,420

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 71% more expensive than in Bengbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.31 ¥15.42

58.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$10.50 ¥70.2

180.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.76 ¥31.80

10.92%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$3.15 ¥21.08

3.81%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.47 ¥3.16

14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.25 ¥1.66

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.45 ¥9.67

5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.21 ¥14.74

-2.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$2.18 ¥14.56

-25.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.02 ¥6.82

58.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.72 ¥4.85

51.39%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.32 ¥8.82

29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$10.42 ¥69.7

105.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.04 ¥20.30

13.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$9.00 ¥60.2

58.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.50 ¥10.03

56.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.07 ¥7.13

47.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.52 ¥10.16

28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$0.78 ¥5.22

88.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.62 ¥4.16

74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.63 ¥4.20

98.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.76 ¥5.09

-22.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.43 ¥2.90

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$2.93 ¥19.56

50.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$6.10 ¥40.82

92.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.76 ¥5.11

28.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.47 ¥9.86

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.31 ¥2.09

103.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$20.48 ¥137

8.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.61 ¥10.76

-9.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.38 ¥2.57

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$9.15 ¥61.2

-23.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.29 ¥8.66

3.88%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

1.17%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

9.09%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$36.70 ¥245

77.38%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$5.39 ¥36.01

90.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$7.07 ¥47.24

128.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$41.28 ¥276

18.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$16.25 ¥109

6.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$5.99 ¥40.07

25.38%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$417 ¥2,788

28.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$22.1K ¥147.9K

9.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$43.41 ¥290

26.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$33.77 ¥226

18.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$66.1 ¥442

9.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$88.5 ¥592

5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$294 ¥1,969

160.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$181 ¥1,209

168.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$586 ¥3,920

238.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$349 ¥2,334

149.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,507 ¥23.4K

292.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$2,194 ¥14.7K

177.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$668 ¥4,468

159.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.42

-2.05%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Bengbu

$181 27.2% 62.8% $305

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Bengbu

$168 25.2% 33.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Bengbu

$104 15.7% 11.1% $13

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Bengbu

$85 12.8% 14.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Bengbu

$49 7.4% 46.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Bengbu

$53 8% 16.5% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Bengbu

$25 3.8% 10.4% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $294 in Bengbu. 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: $29.00 in Shenzhen vs $11.00 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $168 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,296,408

💱 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

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Shenzhen Bengbu 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Bengbu: 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.

Average pay runs 160% higher in Shenzhen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $768 in Shenzhen versus $294 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $417 in Bengbu. 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.