Hotel sample updated:
Most district comparisons for Shenzhen are written by people ranking places they have not lived in, and the giveaway is that every number is a round one. This one only scores what can be counted, shows the count in the same cell as the score, and leaves the most-requested column deliberately empty because the honest figure does not exist.
How to read it
Each score is round(10 × this district ÷ the highest district). So the leader in a column always scores 10 and everything else is relative to it. The raw count sits under every score, which means you can recompute the entire table yourself and disagree with it precisely rather than vaguely.
| District | International schools | Metro lines listed, not scored | Hotel coverage | Restaurant coverage | Rent not published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shekou | 10 out of 10, from 3 of 8 | 2, 12, 13 | 3 out of 10, from 1 of 8 | 6 out of 10, from 9 of 45 | not published |
| Nanshan | 10 out of 10, from 3 of 8 | 1, 2, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13 | 7 out of 10, from 2 of 8 | 10 out of 10, from 14 of 45 | not published |
| Futian | 0 out of 10, from 0 of 8 | 4, 7, 10, 11 | 3 out of 10, from 1 of 8 | 9 out of 10, from 12 of 45 | not published |
| Luohu | 0 out of 10, from 0 of 8 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 | 3 out of 10, from 1 of 8 | 5 out of 10, from 7 of 45 | not published |
| Qianhai | 3 out of 10, from 1 of 8 | 1, 5, 9, 11 | 0 out of 10, from 0 of 8 | 1 out of 10, from 1 of 45 | not published |
| Bao’an | 0 out of 10, from 0 of 8 | 1, 5, 11, 12, 20 | 10 out of 10, from 3 of 8 | 0 out of 10, from 0 of 45 | not published |
| Longhua | 3 out of 10, from 1 of 8 | 4, 5, 6, 10 | 0 out of 10, from 0 of 8 | 0 out of 10, from 0 of 45 | not published |
Why there is no rent column
Rent is the first thing everybody wants scored and the one figure I will not put a number on. There is no current official average rent published on a basis that would let you compare Shekou with Futian like for like — the districts are different sizes, the stock is different ages, and the listing platforms report asking prices rather than signed ones. This site already says so on the Shekou versus Futian comparison, and putting a 9 and an 8 in a table here would contradict that for the sake of a tidier grid. What would fix it is a dated sample of matched listings — same bedroom count, same building age, same month — and that is a piece of work I would rather do properly than fake.
Why there is no total column
Because adding schools to featured hotels produces a number that looks authoritative and means nothing. A family choosing on the school run and a visitor comparing hotel locations have different needs. A composite score hides that distinction, and our small hotel sample cannot measure total supply. Read the relevant source guides and compare the actual options.
What each column is actually measuring
Schools count the campuses in our comparison. Hotels and restaurants measure this site's editorial coverage, not all the options in Shenzhen. Metro lines are shown without a score. These limits matter more than the scores.
International schools measures the district
Schools from the comparison whose main campus is in the district. Counted on the first district named, so the three Shekou campuses are not also counted as Nanshan.
Metro lines measures this site
The line numbers named in that district’s guide on this site — shown, but deliberately not scored. It reflects what those guides happen to mention rather than the network, and it visibly under-counts Futian. A scored version needs the official line-by-district list, which is a piece of work still to do.
Hotel coverage measures this featured sample
How many of the 8 source-backed featured hotels on our hotel hub are in each area. This is a small editorial sample, not the city's hotel supply or a hotel-quality ranking. Shekou is counted separately from the rest of Nanshan; no hotel is counted twice.
Restaurant coverage measures this directory
How many of the 45 restaurants in this directory are in the district. This measures where I have eaten, not where the good food is — Bao’an and Longhua score zero because I have not written them up, not because they have nothing.
What the table is good for
Narrowing, not deciding. If you have children and need a campus within a sane commute, the schools column removes four districts in one glance. For visitors, the hotel column shows where our featured stays are located, not which area has the most or best hotels. Compare their actual addresses and your journey. Then go and read the district guides, or spend a weekend on the 72-hour neighbourhood test, which is worth more than any table including this one.
Hotel counts use the 8 featured source records reviewed on 26 September 2026. School, restaurant and Metro counts retain their existing source snapshots; this hotel update does not reverify them. A zero means this site has nothing in that sample for the area, not that the area has no options.