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 | 53元 | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar) | 33元 | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 15元 | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 16元 | |
| 12 eggs, large | 16元 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 8元 | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 63元 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 13元 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 7元 | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 5.64元 | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 114元 | |
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | 8元 | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 12元 | |
| Housing | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | 9,680元 | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | 4,478元 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 425元 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | 5,603元 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | 3,523元 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | 305元 | |
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | 88元 | |
| 40” flat screen TV | 2,242元 | |
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | 678元 | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 40元 | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | 39元 | |
| Clothes | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | 554元 | |
| 1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) | 280元 | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) | 614元 | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 672元 | |
| Transportation | ||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 145,666元 | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 7元 | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | 154元 | |
| Personal Care | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 26元 | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 32元 | |
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | 425元 | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | 30元 | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 37元 | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 38元 | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | 10元 | |
| Tube of toothpaste | 14元 | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 59元 | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 159元 | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | 86元 | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | 723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 | 60元 | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 34元 | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 34元 | |
| iPad Wi-Fi 128GB | 3,310元 | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 0.98元 | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | 300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 | 119 |
| 3rd | Shenzhen | 111 |
| 4th | Suzhou | 105 |
| 5th | Hangzhou | 100 |
| 6th | Guangzhou | 98 |
| 7th | Nanjing | 87 |
| 8th | Chengdu | 80 |
| 9th | Lianyungang | 78 |
| 10th | Qingdao | 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 17% more expensive than in Johannesburg
- Cost of living in Beijing is 7% cheaper than in Taipei
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 34% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Shanghai is about the same as in Taipei
- Cost of living in Beijing is 18% cheaper than in Seoul
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 44% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Beijing is about the same as in Lynchburg, Virginia
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 34% more expensive than in Tehran
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 47% cheaper than in New York City
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 6% more expensive than in Jeju
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 52% more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur
- Cost of living in Beijing is 48% cheaper than in Hong Kong
- Cost of living in Shenzhen is 51% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 34% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 44% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Shanghai is about the same as in Bangkok
- Cost of living in Harbin is 30% cheaper than in Sapporo
- Cost of living in Jining is 19% cheaper than in Linares
- Cost of living in Shanghai is 31% more expensive than in Guangzhou
- Cost of living in Beijing is 38% cheaper than in Tokyo
Compare other countries
Recent Prices Added
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Lanzhou costs 1,600元 (about 8 hours ago)
- 1 liter of whole fat milk in Beijing costs 1.00元 (1 day ago)
- Taxi, initial meter charge, weekday at noon in Beijing costs 12元 (1 day ago)
- Public transport in Beijing costs 300元 (1 day ago)
- Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Beijing costs 200元 (1 day ago)
- 2 liters of coca-cola in Beijing costs 9元 (1 day ago)
- 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality in Beijing costs 80元 (1 day ago)
- 500 ml domestic beer in the supermarket in Beijing costs 5.00元 (1 day ago)
- 1 liter of whole fat milk in Beijing costs 22元 (1 day ago)
- 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Beijing costs 15元 (1 day ago)