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54 | |
| 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16 | |
| 12 eggs, large | 元16 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 元8 | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 元61 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 元14 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 元7 | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 元5.51 | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 元110 | |
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | 元8 | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 元12 | |
| Housing | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | 元10,105 | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | 元4,975 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 元459 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | 元5,475 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | 元3,621 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | 元329 | |
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | 元90 | |
| 40” flat screen TV | 元2,367 | |
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | 元657 | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 元38 | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | 元36 | |
| Clothes | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | 元545 | |
| 1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) | 元256 | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) | 元619 | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 元612 | |
| Transportation | ||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 元143,352 | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 元7 | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | 元153 | |
| Personal Care | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 元25 | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 元39 | |
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | 元238 | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | 元31 | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 元43 | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 元37 | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 元9 | |
| Tube of toothpaste | 元12 | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 元60 | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 元173 | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | 元95 | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 元818 | |
| Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 元406 | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 元63 | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 元34 | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 元34 | |
| iPad Wi-Fi 128GB | 元3,318 | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 元0.65 | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 元425 | |
| 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 | 126 |
| 2nd | Beijing | 121 |
| 3rd | Shenzhen | 110 |
| 4th | Hangzhou | 100 |
| 5th | Guangzhou | 99 |
| 6th | Nanjing | 89 |
| 7th | Chengdu | 80 |
| 8th | Lianyungang | 80 |
| 9th | Qingdao | 79 |
| 10th | Fushun | 76 |
| 11th | Dezhou | 66 |
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 Shijiazhuang is 36% cheaper than in Kayes
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 43% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Guangzhou is 9% more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 39% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 45% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 47% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Qingdao is 35% cheaper than in Beijing
- Cost of living in Shanghai is about the same as in Boise, Idaho
- Cost of living in Wuxi is 5% cheaper than in Guangzhou
- Cost of living in Beijing is 44% more expensive than in Dhaka
- Cost of living in Wuxi is 45% cheaper than in Portland, Oregon
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 9% cheaper than in Seoul
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 4% more expensive than in Beijing
- Cost of living in Yangzhou is 12% cheaper than in Chengdu
- Cost of living in Shijiazhuang is 12% more expensive than in Mbale
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 20% more expensive than in Valparaiso
- Cost of living in Beijing is 4% more expensive than in Bangkok
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 15% more expensive than in Santiago
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 32% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Kunming is 47% cheaper than in Bangkok
Compare other countries
Recent Prices Added
- Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district in Yantai costs 元900 (about 8 hours ago)
- Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Shanghai costs 元100 (about 9 hours ago)
- 1 liter of gasoline in Shanghai costs 元14 (about 11 hours ago)
- Ipad wi-fi 128gb in Wuhan costs 元2,999 (about 19 hours ago)
- Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Shanghai costs 元180 (5 days ago)
- Taxi, initial meter charge, weekday at noon in Shanghai costs 元16 (5 days ago)
- Internet 8 mbps, 1 month in Shanghai costs 元90 (5 days ago)
- Utilities (studio), monthly for 1 person in 45 m2 in Shanghai costs 元300 (5 days ago)
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in normal area in Shanghai costs 元8,500 (5 days ago)
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Shanghai costs 元14,000 (5 days ago)