Cost of Living in China

Summary of cost of living in China:

The estimated monthly costs for a family of four are $1,874.4 (¥12,670.8), excluding rent.
The estimated monthly costs for a single person are $505.5 (¥3,417.1), excluding rent.
Cost of living in China is, on average, 55.8% lower than in United States.
Rent in China is, on average, 74.1% lower than in United States.

Restaurants	Edit	Range
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant	¥20.00	15.00-40.00
Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks)	¥150.00	100.00-300.00
Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal)	¥35.00	30.00-45.00
Domestic Draft Beer (1 Pint)	¥7.00	5.00-18.00
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	¥15.00	10.00-30.00
Cappuccino (Regular Size)	¥20.01	9.90-35.00
Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 12 oz Small Bottle)	¥3.31	2.89-5.00
Bottled Water (12 oz)	¥1.96	1.50-3.00

Markets	Edit
Milk (Regular, 1 Liter)	¥12.11	9.00-19.00
Fresh White Bread (1 lb Loaf)	¥10.28	5.44-22.68
White Rice (1 lb)	¥2.94	1.81-4.98
Eggs (12, Large Size)	¥10.77	6.00-18.00
Local Cheese (1 lb)	¥40.47	20.41-90.72
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	¥10.48	4.54-18.14
Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 lb)	¥34.46	18.14-49.90
Apples (1 lb)	¥5.71	2.27-9.07
Bananas (1 lb)	¥3.95	2.27-7.71
Oranges (1 lb)	¥4.61	1.81-9.98
Tomatoes (1 lb)	¥3.88	1.59-6.80
Potatoes (1 lb)	¥2.27	0.91-3.63
Onions (1 lb)	¥2.73	1.36-4.89
Lettuce (1 Head)	¥4.15	2.00-8.00
Bottled Water (50 oz)	¥3.85	2.50-6.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	¥80.00	40.00-158.00
Domestic Beer (16.9 oz Bottle)	¥5.86	3.00-8.57
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	¥11.35	7.00-19.00
Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro)	¥25.00	20.00-35.00

Transportation	Edit
One-Way Ticket (Local Transport)	¥2.00	2.00-5.00
Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price)	¥150.00	87.88-300.00
Taxi Start (Standard Tariff)	¥10.00	8.00-15.00
Taxi 1 mile (Standard Tariff)	¥4.02	3.22-5.31
Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff)	¥48.00	28.00-61.00
Gasoline (1 Liter)	¥8.10	7.20-9.08
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car)	¥129,900.00	120,000.00-140,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-Size Car)	¥115,013.56	100,000.00-130,000.00

Utilities (Monthly)	Edit
Basic Utilities for 915 Square Feet Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage)	¥363.09	212.50-653.85
Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data)	¥59.34	30.00-128.00
Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher)	¥72.81	44.00-129.00

Sports And Leisure	Edit
Monthly Fitness Club Membership	¥272.74	100.00-800.00
Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend)	¥98.33	50.00-155.72
Cinema Ticket (International Release)	¥45.00	35.00-60.00

Childcare	Edit
Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child	¥3,050.59	1,500.00-9,316.67
International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child	¥130,636.75	60,000.00-244,000.00

Clothing And Shoes	Edit
Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar)	¥297.00	100.00-600.00
Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M)	¥237.19	100.00-400.00
Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	¥509.82	300.00-800.00
Men's Leather Business Shoes	¥519.10	259.00-1,000.00

Rent Per Month	Edit
1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	¥2,724.33	1,500.00-6,893.75
1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	¥1,639.56	1,000.00-4,000.00
3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	¥6,061.10	3,000.00-16,403.85
3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	¥3,302.27	1,800.00-8,295.45

Buy Apartment Price	Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	¥3,113.05	1,393.53-8,913.97
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	¥1,550.94	780.38-4,229.98

Salaries And Financing	Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	¥7,248.98
Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %)	3.48	3.00-4.50

Prices in China

This country had 13777 entries in the past 12 months by 1045 different contributors.
Last update: 15 June 2026
Our data for each country are based on all entries from all cities in that country.

Sources and References

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Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:

Salary Calculator:Got a job offer in China? Estimate your take-home pay with our Salary Calculator for China.

By City in China

City	Cost of Living Index	Rent Index	Cost of Living Plus Rent Index	Groceries Index	Restaurant Price Index	Local Purchasing Power Index
Shanghai	40.6	24.5	33.2	42.0	25.2	95.3
Shenzhen	38.9	19.3	30.0	44.1	23.7	104.3
Beijing	38.3	24.0	31.8	39.9	25.0	91.8
Guangzhou	36.6	12.3	25.5	41.8	23.4	96.8
Suzhou	36.2	10.8	24.6	41.5	27.3	104.7
Hangzhou	36.2	13.2	25.7	41.8	24.6	110.5
Changsha	32.4	6.4	20.5	40.6	21.5	102.0
Wuhan	31.7	7.9	20.8	38.1	20.8	106.1
Nanjing	31.6	11.7	22.5	34.8	23.3	115.3
Hefei	31.0	6.1	19.6	40.2	19.4	98.5
Qingdao, Shandong	30.1	8.2	20.1	37.3	19.2	110.5
Chengdu	28.7	10.0	20.2	35.3	20.9	116.6
Chongqing	28.6	9.1	19.7	36.0	19.6	105.6
Xi'an	27.3	8.0	18.5	32.7	17.3	109.7