Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Weihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Weihai: $625 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Weihai
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Weihai Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Weihai

🇨🇳 China

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Weihai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shenzhen versus $625 in Weihai.

Shenzhen $1,138
Weihai $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Shenzhen versus $949 in Weihai.

Shenzhen $1,750
Weihai $949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Shenzhen versus $1,273 in Weihai.

Shenzhen $2,362
Weihai $1,273

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 82% more expensive than in Weihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 16% lower, Weihai 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.53

$2.64 ¥17.68

39.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ¥197

$16.28 ¥109

80.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.28

$4.60 ¥30.79

14.78%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.83

$2.77 ¥18.55

18.05%

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

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.50 ¥3.35

8.00%

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

$1.10 ¥7.37

39.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$2.54 ¥16.96

-15.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.30 ¥8.70

24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.85

$1.41 ¥9.43

14.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.98 ¥6.57

11.22%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.44

$0.94 ¥6.26

81.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

$10.45 ¥69.9

104.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.08

$3.79 ¥25.33

-8.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥95.3

$9.99 ¥66.8

42.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ¥15.64

$1.03 ¥6.87

127.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$0.81 ¥5.39

95.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$1.52 ¥10.15

28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.26 ¥8.40

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.46 ¥3.09

134.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$0.43 ¥2.90

190.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.72 ¥4.81

-18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.65 ¥4.34

-9.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ¥29.47

$3.93 ¥26.25

12.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$7.37 ¥49.27

59.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.43 ¥2.86

127.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.69

$1.55 ¥10.38

12.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$0.23 ¥1.54

173.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ¥149

$13.50 ¥90.3

65.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.22 ¥8.18

18.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.27 ¥1.81

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

$7.49 ¥50.1

-6.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.20 ¥8.04

11.67%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

-0.76%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

9.79%

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

$65.1 ¥435

$45.07 ¥301

44.44%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.89 ¥46.10

48.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.17 ¥108

$7.53 ¥50.3

114.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 ¥326

$55.4 ¥370

-11.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 ¥115

$9.03 ¥60.4

90.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ¥50.2

$4.96 ¥33.14

51.41%

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

$538 ¥3,596

$302 ¥2,016

78.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.2K

$17.6K ¥118.0K

37.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 ¥367

$51.3 ¥343

7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 ¥268

$29.56 ¥198

35.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥484

$74.5 ¥498

-2.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ¥624

$45.69 ¥305

104.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ¥5,135

$196 ¥1,312

291.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥3,248

$140 ¥937

246.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ¥13.3K

$326 ¥2,181

507.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥5,813

$196 ¥1,307

344.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K ¥92.0K

$1,796 ¥12.0K

666.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$1,122 ¥7,499

443.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 ¥11.6K

$617 ¥4,123

181.50%

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 Weihai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$486 42.7%

Weihai

$140 22.4% 71.2% $346

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.1%

Weihai

$170 27.3% 32.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Weihai

$90 14.5% 22.9% $27

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$100 8.8%

Weihai

$82 13.1% 17.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$92 8%

Weihai

$59 9.5% 35% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.6%

Weihai

$65 10.5% 2.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Weihai

$17 2.7% 39.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Shenzhen and $196 in Weihai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 182% 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 $16.00 in Weihai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $170 per month, with Weihai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Weihai

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,804,800

💱 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 Weihai 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Shenzhen vs Weihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Weihai wins on cost – living expenses run 82% lower than in Shenzhen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Weihai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 182% 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 $196 in Weihai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Weihai runs roughly 65% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $538 in Shenzhen versus $302 in Weihai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $625 in Weihai versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Weihai but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. The gap between the two cities makes Weihai 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 Weihai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.