Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Dalian

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $917 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shenzhen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Dalian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $917 in Dalian.

Shenzhen $1,117
Dalian $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,453 in Dalian.

Shenzhen $1,714
Dalian $1,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,989 in Dalian.

Shenzhen $2,310
Dalian $1,989

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 22% more expensive than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Dalian 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.31

$3.66 ¥24.33

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥195

$25.01 ¥166

17.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.12

$5.38 ¥35.77

-1.86%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.31

$3.43 ¥22.79

-2.04%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.48 ¥3.18

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.23 ¥1.52

56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$0.99 ¥6.56

49.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.51 ¥10.04

41.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.21

$1.64 ¥10.89

-6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.50 ¥9.93

8.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.95 ¥6.32

20.00%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.62

$1.57 ¥10.45

11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$20.12 ¥134

3.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.68

$3.50 ¥23.29

-2.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥95.8

$12.81 ¥85.1

12.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.94

$1.28 ¥8.54

75.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.77

$1.09 ¥7.24

48.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.86

$1.97 ¥13.06

-1.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$0.89 ¥5.93

59.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.89 ¥5.91

21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$0.69 ¥4.57

85.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.96

$1.31 ¥8.69

-54.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.63 ¥4.18

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.46

$3.83 ¥25.42

15.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.3

$15.01 ¥99.8

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.12 ¥7.45

-17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.13

$1.86 ¥12.34

-1.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.29 ¥1.92

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$29.71 ¥197

-39.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.14

$1.54 ¥10.24

-0.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.43 ¥2.86

-4.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.90

$4.24 ¥28.19

73.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.76

$1.27 ¥8.43

3.94%

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

$19.2K ¥127.8K

$19.2K ¥127.6K

0.16%

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

$18.0K ¥119.9K

$17.3K ¥115.2K

4.13%

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

$64.8 ¥430

$66.0 ¥438

-1.83%

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

$9.90 ¥65.8

$9.51 ¥63.2

4.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$13.65 ¥90.7

20.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥325

$40.42 ¥269

21.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$36.60 ¥243

-53.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.37

$6.94 ¥46.14

4.90%

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

$537 ¥3,567

$403 ¥2,675

33.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.2K

$20.6K ¥136.9K

18.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥370

$76.0 ¥505

-26.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$55.9 ¥372

-27.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥485

$112 ¥745

-34.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥624

$121 ¥807

-22.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,003

$406 ¥2,699

85.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,127

$238 ¥1,581

97.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$701 ¥4,660

163.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,516

$450 ¥2,988

84.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.6K

$2,636 ¥17.5K

400.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$1,644 ¥10.9K

294.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$1,077 ¥7,158

63.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.89

-13.88%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dalian: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Dalian

$238 26% 49.4% $233

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Dalian

$239 26.1% 3.9% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Dalian

$164 17.9% 38.8% $46

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Dalian

$97 10.6% 3.4% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Dalian

$89 9.7% 2.1% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Dalian

$54 5.9% 14.5% $9.2

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Dalian

$35 3.8% 47.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $406 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 64% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $25 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $239 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

7,450,785

💱 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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Shenzhen Dalian 1,960 km ≈ 3 h 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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $917 in Dalian, so Dalian is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 64% 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $406 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $403 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Dalian is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shenzhen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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