Data Center Colocation Costs in China: Q3 2026 Price Index

Q3 2026 · 2026-09-01 · H2 2025 – Q2 2026 · 40 Tier III/IV · 6 AI-ready · 310+ MW · sources

How this market compares

Round-trip times are measured figures from the latency matrix; power tariffs from the index. Cross-connects add $50–$350 per month each on top of any rate. Round-trip · The Index

Why prices sit where they do

China is the market where the access question comes before the price question. We track 4 operational mainland facilities, one in Beijing, one in Shanghai and two in Zhangjiakou, run by Chindata, VNET and GDS, and we publish neither a tariff nor latency for them, because neither decides whether a foreign buyer can use them. Hosting content for mainland users requires an ICP filing or licence that a foreign entity generally cannot hold directly, so the route in is a domestic partner or joint venture, and it adds months to procurement rather than points to the rate. Cross-border data transfer rules sit on top and have been revised more than once. Provincial capacity policy steers hyperscale demand north and inland, which is what the Zhangjiakou pair serving Beijing represents. Buyers who do not specifically need to serve mainland users land in Hong Kong instead, which reaches Shenzhen and Guangzhou without the licensing perimeter.

Data centers

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