Setting Up Water, Electricity, Gas and Internet in Your Shenzhen Apartment
Updated: 2026-11-07 · 3 min read
Who pays what
In most Shenzhen rentals the tenant pays electricity, gas, water and internet, while the landlord pays the monthly property management fee — but every lease is different, so confirm the split in writing before signing.
Electricity is prepaid: you top up a card or an app linked to your meter. A one-bedroom typically uses ¥150–300 per month with air conditioning in summer; three bedrooms can reach ¥500–800 in the hottest weeks.
Water, gas and the property fee
Water is billed every two months (often paid via WeChat), gas is prepaid like electricity. The property management fee covers security, cleaning of common areas and garden upkeep — it is significant in premium compounds, which is why it matters who pays it.
Getting internet installed
Fibre installation from China Telecom, China Unicom or China Mobile costs a few hundred yuan per year for 300–1000 Mbps. As a foreigner you can usually sign up with your passport; installation takes one to three working days. Many of our compounds already have fibre — ask us which operator serves the building before you move in.
As a real example from our current catalogue: Modern 2-bedroom 2-bathroom apartment at Evergrande Tianjing, Nanyou Nanshan — Modern 2, 2 bedrooms, 83 sqm, ¥11,500/month. Every apartment we list is checked for police-registration eligibility before it goes online.
Practical tips
Ask for the meter photos on move-in day, keep the utility cards with the lease, and set up WeChat payment for bills — almost everything can be paid in the app without speaking Chinese.
Apartments you might like
¥7,500/monthNanshan Airy Loft Rentals
Nanshan Airy Loft Rentals · nanshan · Line 5 · Liwan
¥8,000/monthNanshan Cozy Two-bed Rentals
Nanshan Cozy Two · nanshan · Line 1 · Daxin
¥8,500/monthNanshan Sunny Two-bed Rentals
Nanshan Sunny Two · nanshan · Line 1 · Daxin
Tous les logements dans le catalogue. Une question ? écrivez-nous.