Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $734 a month against $1,096 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
Learn more

Bortala Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,096

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Bortala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,096 in Shenzhen versus $734 in Bortala.

Shenzhen $1,096
Bortala $734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,708 in Shenzhen versus $1,169 in Bortala.

Shenzhen $1,708
Bortala $1,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,320 in Shenzhen versus $1,605 in Bortala.

Shenzhen $2,320
Bortala $1,605

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 49% more expensive than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 19% lower, Bortala 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ¥25.22

$3.03 ¥20.19

25.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.66 ¥204

$22.36 ¥149

37.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥34.28

$4.86 ¥32.37

5.97%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.40

$2.71 ¥18.06

23.99%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.47 ¥3.11

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.17

$0.31 ¥2.07

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ¥9.92

$1.08 ¥7.18

37.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.38

$2.06 ¥13.74

4.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.76 ¥11.76

-7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.38

$1.60 ¥10.67

-2.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.00 ¥6.64

14.00%

Eggs

$1.65 ¥11.01

$1.66 ¥11.06

-0.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.13 ¥141

$13.24 ¥88.2

59.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 ¥23.50

$3.46 ¥23.03

2.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.59 ¥97.2

$11.17 ¥74.4

30.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.60

$1.87 ¥12.47

25.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$1.28 ¥8.53

26.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.52 ¥10.15

28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.26 ¥8.42

20.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.75 ¥5.01

45.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.89 ¥5.96

44.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.58 ¥3.86

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.56 ¥3.72

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.60

$3.70 ¥24.64

24.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$11.19 ¥74.5

7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.36

$0.88 ¥5.84

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.24

$1.57 ¥10.44

7.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.31 ¥2.07

38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

$17.68 ¥118

0.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.51 ¥10.08

1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.84

$0.33 ¥2.19

30.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 ¥47.07

$7.28 ¥48.50

-2.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$1.26 ¥8.42

4.76%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$19.5K ¥130.1K

-0.95%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$17.5K ¥116.4K

4.98%

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

$63.3 ¥422

$56.1 ¥374

12.85%

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

$9.87 ¥65.7

$8.47 ¥56.4

16.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.37 ¥109

$11.17 ¥74.4

46.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 ¥320

$41.49 ¥276

15.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.89 ¥113

$15.19 ¥101

11.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ¥50.8

$6.50 ¥43.29

17.38%

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

$540 ¥3,597

$439 ¥2,922

23.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K ¥268.3K

$17.6K ¥117.3K

128.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥374

$43.34 ¥289

29.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.63 ¥271

$32.70 ¥218

24.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ¥478

$73.7 ¥491

-2.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ¥543

$75.3 ¥502

8.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,090

$291 ¥1,939

162.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,023

$189 ¥1,257

140.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 ¥11.9K

$603 ¥4,013

197.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 ¥5,589

$372 ¥2,475

125.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥89.9K

$3,183 ¥21.2K

324.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,628 ¥44.1K

$1,960 ¥13.1K

238.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥12.4K

$618 ¥4,116

200.46%

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 Bortala: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$454 41.4%

Bortala

$189 25.7% 58.4% $265

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$252 23%

Bortala

$207 28.3% 17.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$112 10.3%

Bortala

$101 13.8% 10% $11

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9.3%

Bortala

$84 11.5% 17.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8.2%

Bortala

$76 10.3% 15.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$63 5.8%

Bortala

$54 7.4% 14% $8.8

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Bortala

$22 3% 4.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $764 in Shenzhen and $291 in Bortala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $207 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

246,706

💱 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

Shenzhen Bortala 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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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

Shenzhen vs Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 3 times higher, 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: $764 in Shenzhen versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $540 in Shenzhen versus $439 in Bortala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bortala – a meal for two runs $22 versus $31 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Bortala wins on affordability, Shenzhen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.