Cost of living in China
Are you moving to China? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in China of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
| Food | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | 元48 | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar) | 元33 | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 元16 | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 元15 | |
| 12 eggs, large | 元17 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 元10 | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 元73 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 元13 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 元7 | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 元5.26 | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 元108 | |
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | 元8 | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 元11 | |
| Housing | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | 元10,439 | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | 元5,772 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 元419 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | 元5,270 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | 元3,522 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | 元239 | |
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | 元108 | |
| 40” flat screen TV | 元2,395 | |
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | 元731 | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 元45 | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | 元34 | |
| Clothes | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | 元551 | |
| 1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) | 元307 | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) | 元670 | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 元725 | |
| Transportation | ||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 元162,670 | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 元6 | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | 元156 | |
| Personal Care | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 元27 | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 元41 | |
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | 元417 | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | 元37 | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 元37 | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 元36 | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 元9 | |
| Tube of toothpaste | 元11 | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 元63 | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 元172 | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | 元103 | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 元458 | |
| Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 元392 | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 元66 | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 元34 | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 元34 | |
| iPad Air 2, 64GB | 元3,259 | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 元0.37 | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 元427 | |
| 1 package of Marlboro cigarettes | 元20 | |
Map of Cost of Living in China
This map shows only the top cities in China. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan.
The color of each marker corresponds with the Cost of Living in the city. Red markers show more expensive cities, green ones show cheaper cities.
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in China
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Shanghai | 137 |
| 2nd | Beijing | 119 |
| 3rd | Shenzhen | 117 |
| 4th | Guangzhou | 105 |
| 5th | Lianyungang | 79 |
| 6th | Fushun | 75 |
| 7th | Dezhou | 67 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to China? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in China of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in China
What do you think about the cost of living in China?
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Beijing is 42% cheaper than in Melbourne
- Cost of living in Xuzhou is 7% cheaper than in Chongqing
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 16% more expensive than in Beijing
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 21% more expensive than in Taipei
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 37% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 29% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 37% cheaper than in Sydney
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 33% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 43% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 23% cheaper than in Helsinki
- Cost of living in Beijing is 33% more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 37% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Ningbo is 18% cheaper than in Oporto
- Cost of living in Xiamen is 43% cheaper than in Milan
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 7% cheaper than in Lisbon
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 15% cheaper than in Gothenburg
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 32% cheaper than in Paris
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 26% cheaper than in Chicago, Illinois
- Cost of living in Beijing is 7% more expensive than in Zagreb
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 7% cheaper than in Seoul
Compare other countries
Recent Prices Added
- 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Shenyang costs 元9 (about 20 hours ago)
- Furnished accommodation in normal area, monthly rent - 85 m2 in Wenzhou costs 元1,000 (about 22 hours ago)
- Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Wenzhou costs 元1,000 (about 22 hours ago)
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Wenzhou costs 元1,000 (about 22 hours ago)
- Furnished accommodation in normal area, monthly rent - 85 m2 in Changsha costs 元1,300 (1 day ago)
- Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new in Shenyang costs 元103,000 (2 days ago)
- Furnished accommodation in normal area, monthly rent - 85 m2 in Beijing costs 元7,000 (2 days ago)
- Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Beijing costs 元15,000 (2 days ago)
- Ipad air 2, 64gb in Beijing costs 元7,500 (2 days ago)
- Utilities, monthly for 2 people in 85 m2 in Beijing costs 元7,000 (3 days ago)