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 | 50元 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar) | 34元 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 15元 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 15元 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | 16元 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 8元 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 57元 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 14元 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 7元 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 5.59元 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 114元 | ||
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | 7元 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 12元 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | 9,327元 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | 4,302元 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 439元 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | 5,529元 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | 3,479元 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | 307元 | ||
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | 86元 | ||
| 40” flat screen TV | 2,131元 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | 703元 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 36元 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | 38元 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | 556元 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) | 260元 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) | 624元 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 694元 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 143,509元 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 7元 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | 156元 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 26元 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 30元 | ||
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | 493元 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | 29元 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 36元 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 36元 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 9元 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | 13元 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 57元 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 149元 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | 86元 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 777元 | ||
| Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 375元 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 58元 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 34元 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 33元 | ||
| iPad Wi-Fi 128GB | 3,255元 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 1.04元 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 309元 | ||
| 1 package of Marlboro cigarettes | 20元 | ||
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 | 131 |
| 2nd | Beijing | 118 |
| 3rd | Suzhou | 110 |
| 4th | Shenzhen | 108 |
| 5th | Hangzhou | 95 |
| 6th | Guangzhou | 94 |
| 7th | Nanjing | 87 |
| 8th | Chengdu | 79 |
| 9th | Qingdao | 79 |
| 10th | Lianyungang | 78 |
| 11th | Fushun | 75 |
| 12th | Dezhou | 68 |
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
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 10% more expensive than in Beijing
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 31% cheaper than in Munich
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 40% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 44% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Beijing is 25% cheaper than in Munich
- Cost of living in Dalian is about the same as in Qingdao
- Cost of living in Hangzhou is 27% cheaper than in Shanghai
- Cost of living in Beijing is 21% cheaper than in Düsseldorf
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 27% cheaper than in Düsseldorf
- Cost of living in Hangzhou is 10% more expensive than in Xiamen
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 35% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Chengdu is 40% cheaper than in Birmingham, Alabama
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 42% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 52% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 32% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Ningbo is 40% cheaper than in Beirut
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 9% cheaper than in Seoul
- Cost of living in Ürümqi is 20% cheaper than in Taipei
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 50% more expensive than in Bangkok
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 44% cheaper than in Singapore
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Shenzhen costs 20元 (about 20 hours ago)
- 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Shenzhen costs 10元 (about 20 hours ago)
- Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Shenzhen costs 25元 (about 20 hours ago)
- Cocktail drink in downtown club in Shenzhen costs 40元 (about 20 hours ago)
- Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Shenzhen costs 40元 (about 20 hours ago)
- 75 ml tube of toothpaste in Shenzhen costs 10元 (about 20 hours ago)
- 4 rolls of toilet paper in Shenzhen costs 8元 (about 20 hours ago)
- 400 ml hair shampoo 2-in-1 in Shenzhen costs 27元 (about 20 hours ago)
- One-way ticket in public transport in Shenzhen costs 4.00元 (about 20 hours ago)
- Taxi fare per distance, weekday at noon, per 1 km. in Shenzhen costs 2.00元 (about 20 hours ago)