Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Qinhuangdao

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Qinhuangdao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $714 in Qinhuangdao.

Shenzhen $1,131
Qinhuangdao $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $1,135 in Qinhuangdao.

Shenzhen $1,741
Qinhuangdao $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,556 in Qinhuangdao.

Shenzhen $2,352
Qinhuangdao $1,556

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 58% more expensive than in Qinhuangdao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Qinhuangdao 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.82

$2.76 ¥18.36

35.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥199

$21.79 ¥145

37.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.67

$4.88 ¥32.50

9.84%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.56

$3.04 ¥20.24

11.51%

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

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.47 ¥3.12

17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.27 ¥1.78

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$0.92 ¥6.15

59.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.44

$2.13 ¥14.18

1.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$1.85 ¥12.31

-14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.83

$1.55 ¥10.33

5.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.56

$0.89 ¥5.92

28.09%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.83

$1.53 ¥10.20

16.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥141

$13.05 ¥86.9

62.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.00

$3.11 ¥20.71

10.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥97.8

$10.33 ¥68.8

42.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.87

$1.87 ¥12.46

19.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.69

$1.25 ¥8.32

28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$1.47 ¥9.77

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.37

$1.15 ¥7.63

22.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$0.73 ¥4.87

42.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$0.95 ¥6.33

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.60 ¥3.99

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.03

$0.51 ¥3.41

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.17

$3.05 ¥20.32

43.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.0

$10.69 ¥71.2

9.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.50

$0.79 ¥5.25

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.64 ¥10.89

11.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.27 ¥1.78

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥150

$16.97 ¥113

33.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$1.42 ¥9.48

7.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.33 ¥2.18

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.50

$6.62 ¥44.04

5.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥8.98

$1.14 ¥7.58

18.42%

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

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

3.11%

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

$17.9K ¥119.2K

$17.1K ¥113.8K

4.76%

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

$62.8 ¥418

$44.64 ¥297

40.59%

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

$10.25 ¥68.2

$9.87 ¥65.7

3.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$11.90 ¥79.2

37.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥330

$42.14 ¥281

17.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥115

$14.09 ¥93.8

22.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥50.8

$5.79 ¥38.55

31.95%

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

$526 ¥3,503

$337 ¥2,244

56.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.3K

$17.2K ¥114.2K

43.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥367

$44.18 ¥294

24.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥266

$30.35 ¥202

31.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥482

$71.8 ¥478

0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥617

$70.6 ¥470

31.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,135

$276 ¥1,835

179.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,181

$191 ¥1,272

150.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.2K

$601 ¥3,998

230.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,671

$362 ¥2,413

135.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$3,063 ¥20.4K

345.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.0K

$2,068 ¥13.8K

190.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8% 60% $287

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9% 20.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7% 16.6% $19

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9% 16.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3% 25.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Qinhuangdao

$21 3% 25.4% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $771 in Shenzhen and $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Shenzhen vs $22 in Qinhuangdao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $199 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,987,605

💱 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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Shenzhen Qinhuangdao 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Qinhuangdao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Qinhuangdao differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($1,131 vs $714 including rent). Qinhuangdao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,696 in Shenzhen and $1,071 in Qinhuangdao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $771 in Shenzhen versus $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Qinhuangdao – a meal for two runs $22 versus $30 in Shenzhen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Qinhuangdao 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.

Expats usually find Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.