Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Binzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Binzhou: $775 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Binzhou
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Binzhou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Binzhou

🇨🇳 China

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Binzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $775 in Binzhou.

Shenzhen $1,138
Binzhou $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $1,224 in Binzhou.

Shenzhen $1,750
Binzhou $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,672 in Binzhou.

Shenzhen $2,362
Binzhou $1,672

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 47% more expensive than in Binzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Binzhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$3.02 ¥20.20

21.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$17.67 ¥118

66.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.40 ¥29.44

20.00%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$2.69 ¥18.00

21.56%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.51 ¥3.39

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.30 ¥2.00

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.05 ¥7.03

45.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.55 ¥17.08

-15.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.93 ¥12.91

-16.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.36 ¥9.09

19.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.04 ¥6.94

4.81%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.30 ¥8.68

31.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$16.40 ¥110

30.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$4.42 ¥29.55

-21.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$9.53 ¥63.7

49.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.47 ¥9.80

59.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$1.20 ¥8.00

31.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.69 ¥11.33

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.30 ¥8.70

13.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.68 ¥4.57

58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.97 ¥6.47

28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.93 ¥6.24

-36.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.61 ¥4.05

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.76 ¥25.15

17.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$14.72 ¥98.4

-20.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.03 ¥6.86

-4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.63 ¥10.91

7.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.29 ¥1.93

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$17.01 ¥114

30.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.04 ¥6.95

39.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.45 ¥2.99

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$8.82 ¥59.0

-20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.27 ¥8.52

5.51%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.7K ¥131.7K

-1.39%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$16.5K ¥110.4K

9.91%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$67.8 ¥453

-4.01%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.88 ¥46.00

48.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$7.89 ¥52.7

104.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$41.59 ¥278

17.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$14.50 ¥97.0

18.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$5.67 ¥37.90

32.45%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$368 ¥2,462

46.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

36.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$52.2 ¥349

5.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$47.93 ¥320

-16.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$93.8 ¥627

-22.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$89.8 ¥600

4.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$296 ¥1,980

159.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$184 ¥1,232

163.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$624 ¥4,173

217.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$378 ¥2,529

129.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$3,388 ¥22.7K

306.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$1,677 ¥11.2K

263.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$567 ¥3,788

206.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.37

-0.59%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Binzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Binzhou

$184 23.8% 62.1% $301

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Binzhou

$223 28.8% 11.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Binzhou

$128 16.5% 8.8% $10

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 16.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 9.8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Binzhou

$53 6.8% 17% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Binzhou

$21 2.8% 23.9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $296 in Binzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 206% 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 $18.00 in Binzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $223 per month, with Binzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Binzhou

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

3,748,500

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Shenzhen Binzhou 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Binzhou

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 Binzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 206% 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 $296 in Binzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $368 in Binzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $775 in Binzhou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Binzhou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Binzhou 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 Binzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.