Cost of Living in China - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: China
Address: CN

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $490 (excluding rent), and $791 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $1,178 (excluding rent), and $1,767 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.82 ¥19.51

$2.11 ¥14.61

$7.04 ¥48.66

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.62 ¥163

$15.29 ¥106

$48.63 ¥336

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ¥34.35

$4.27 ¥29.49

$6.69 ¥46.20

Cappuccino

$3.14 ¥21.66

$1.43 ¥9.87

$5.01 ¥34.59

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ¥3.07

$0.40 ¥2.73

$1.64 ¥11.33

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.84

$0.24 ¥1.64

$0.71 ¥4.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ¥6.40

$0.67 ¥4.62

$2.67 ¥18.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥14.37

$1.38 ¥9.55

$4.16 ¥28.73

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.70

$1.41 ¥9.73

$2.85 ¥19.68

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥11.17

$0.82 ¥5.69

$3.41 ¥23.55

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.62

$0.54 ¥3.73

$1.56 ¥10.77

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.76

$0.82 ¥5.68

$2.46 ¥16.99

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 ¥91.1

$6.31 ¥43.58

$28.01 ¥194

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥22.15

$1.49 ¥10.30

$5.43 ¥37.50

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.89 ¥75.3

$5.66 ¥39.14

$16.99 ¥117

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ¥12.20

$0.69 ¥4.77

$2.75 ¥19.02

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.64

$0.76 ¥5.24

$2.75 ¥18.97

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.53

$0.58 ¥3.98

$3.29 ¥22.77

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.95

$0.55 ¥3.81

$1.92 ¥13.25

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.28

$0.29 ¥2.00

$1.43 ¥9.91

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥6.14

$0.41 ¥2.87

$1.65 ¥11.40

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.24

$0.29 ¥2.01

$1.16 ¥7.98

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.72

$0.35 ¥2.43

$0.82 ¥5.68

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ¥23.33

$2.71 ¥18.70

$4.72 ¥32.65

Wine (Bottle)

$11.67 ¥80.6

$5.83 ¥40.27

$21.87 ¥151

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.39

$0.40 ¥2.79

$1.34 ¥9.25

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.54

$0.99 ¥6.82

$2.84 ¥19.63

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.98

$0.29 ¥1.99

$0.72 ¥4.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.93 ¥145

$12.55 ¥86.7

$41.86 ¥289

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.74

$1.13 ¥7.78

$2.26 ¥15.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.44

$0.28 ¥1.94

$0.49 ¥3.38

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 ¥44.78

$4.05 ¥28.02

$10.81 ¥74.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥8.04

$1.05 ¥7.27

$1.24 ¥8.60

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.3K ¥133.1K

$16.5K ¥114.1K

$20.6K ¥142.6K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.0K ¥117.4K

$14.0K ¥97.0K

$21.0K ¥145.4K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$51.3 ¥354

$29.73 ¥205

$92.5 ¥639

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.84 ¥68.0

$4.16 ¥28.72

$17.72 ¥122

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.49 ¥79.4

$7.07 ¥48.86

$21.22 ¥147

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.28 ¥278

$14.08 ¥97.3

$113 ¥778

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 ¥102

$6.95 ¥48.04

$27.82 ¥192

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥44.30

$4.98 ¥34.41

$8.55 ¥59.1

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$403 ¥2,787

$205 ¥1,419

$1,264 ¥8,733

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥123.5K

$8,491 ¥58.7K

$35.4K ¥244.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.91 ¥317

$18.08 ¥125

$97.4 ¥673

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.39 ¥224

$13.72 ¥94.8

$54.9 ¥379

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥492

$41.36 ¥286

$110 ¥762

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 ¥511

$41.75 ¥289

$139 ¥962

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ¥3,013

$209 ¥1,441

$999 ¥6,901

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 ¥1,752

$138 ¥952

$557 ¥3,850

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 ¥6,219

$412 ¥2,844

$2,453 ¥17.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 ¥3,787

$283 ¥1,954

$1,208 ¥8,345

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,140 ¥35.5K

$2,159 ¥14.9K

$13.7K ¥94.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,676 ¥18.5K

$1,305 ¥9,018

$7,159 ¥49.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,024 ¥7,079

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.2

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update: March 3, 2026

By City in China

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
51	Huainan	3033528	36	$485	$718	$1,144	$1,521	165.38	449.3
52	Huanggang	6291000	36	$543	$717	$997	$1,547	101.05	342.01
53	Huizhou	4597002	35	$409	$700	$1,174	$1,485	271.01	173.41
54	Huzhou	2893542	36	$538	$709	$1,340	$1,552	34.15	385.14
55	Jiamusi	2156505	36	$470	$718	$1,152	$1,523	16.67	302.99
56	Jiangmen	4448871	33	$417	$641	$1,108	$1,256	225.11	150.12
57	Jiaozuo	3539860	34	$484	$680	$1,064	$1,492	15.93	221.23
58	Jiaxing	3563700	33	$479	$654	$1,002	$1,552	35.03	256.22
59	Jieyang	5877025	33	$371	$661	$1,058	$1,396	384.54	150.34
60	Jilin	3623713	36	$537	$704	$1,027	$1,560	51.76	424.46
61	Jinan	9202432	37	$460	$747	$1,236	$1,590	96.3	376.01
62	Jingmen	2873687	36	$532	$708	$1,032	$1,542	63.2	313.85
63	Jinhua	5361572	32	$379	$643	$1,079	$1,384	235.12	211.7
64	Jining	8357897	35	$417	$709	$1,007	$1,541	269.67	435.33
65	Jinzhou	2703853	36	$442	$701	$1,299	$1,529	114.62	504.79
66	Jiujiang	4728778	38	$452	$769	$1,218	$1,582	18.82	321.49
67	Kaifeng	4676159	35	$515	$699	$1,101	$1,469	36.46	35.99
68	Karamay	490348	36	$454	$723	$1,168	$1,568	58.8	229.92
69	Korla	779352	36	$475	$708	$1,201	$1,554	99.38	288.05
70	Kunming, Yunnan	3583000	41	$551	$799	$1,339	$1,770	49.32	150.94
71	Kunshan	2092496	36	$475	$710	$1,132	$1,571	180.27	305.88
72	Langfang	1147591	33	$451	$653	$1,084	$1,450	233.17	319.47
73	Lanzhou	3688400	33	$437	$641	$1,115	$1,428	96.74	150.07
74	Lhasa	867891	35	$431	$700	$991	$1,572	109.98	55.48
75	Lianyungang	4393914	34	$423	$693	$928	$1,435	135.19	349.58
76	Liaocheng	1230000	34	$431	$672	$1,162	$1,431	30.62	355.06
77	Linfen	617000	36	$479	$707	$997	$1,533	258.32	218.57
78	Linyi	2710000	31	$479	$612	$1,255	$1,427	112.52	386.56
79	Liuzhou	4157934	36	$584	$715	$1,206	$1,503	109.22	195.46
80	Longyan	2559545	36	$436	$711	$1,279	$1,555	271.76	145.27
81	Luoyang	1926000	31	$429	$614	$1,126	$1,389	34.37	248.8
82	Maoming	1217000	35	$411	$678	$1,263	$1,527	28.46	201.99
83	Mianyang, Sichuan	4868243	34	$504	$687	$1,083	$1,488	69.47	120.9
84	Mudanjiang	965154	36	$502	$713	$1,036	$1,524	197.36	333.43
85	Nanchang	5042566	35	$540	$712	$1,127	$1,515	236.5	382.41
86	Nanchong	5607565	32	$467	$631	$1,149	$1,380	45.26	117.62
87	Nanjing	9314685	42	$480	$831	$1,171	$1,774	23.4	264.19
88	Nanning	8741584	35	$482	$679	$1,181	$1,476	202.54	185.72
89	Nantong	7726635	31	$377	$607	$1,170	$1,422	123.44	330.77
90	Nanyang	2085680	36	$474	$702	$1,134	$1,530	96.44	390.94
91	Ningbo	7605689	42	$509	$824	$1,268	$1,796	134.2	380.24
92	Panjin	1389691	35	$495	$708	$1,050	$1,542	88.45	483.53
93	Pingdingshan	5000000	36	$505	$720	$1,029	$1,561	137.95	364.34
94	Puning	2508900	36	$486	$712	$1,129	$1,523	32.39	96.81
95	Putian	1954000	36	$568	$717	$1,281	$1,574	116.24	140.32
96	Qingdao, Shandong	10071722	39	$535	$772	$1,226	$1,740	80.38	238.6
97	Qinhuangdao	2987605	36	$471	$721	$1,136	$1,553	21.97	441.75
98	Qiqihar	5367003	36	$469	$720	$1,168	$1,526	63.26	208.23
99	Quanzhou	8128530	39	$492	$769	$1,206	$1,516	114.63	125.91
100	Quzhou	2122661	35	$481	$692	$1,213	$1,484	32.68	287.56

China Median Internet Speeds (Updated January 2026)

Mobile

Mbps

Fixed Broadband

Mbps

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in China - Frequently Asked Questions

In China, affordability shifts by city, neighborhood, and lifestyle. The Cost of Living in China varies from ultramodern metropolises to quieter towns, so you’ll find both budget-friendly and premium options depending on where you stay. Expats and digital nomads often value housing with good transit links, nearby cafes or coworking spaces, and access to local markets for groceries. Food and transport tend to be efficient and affordable when you favor public transit and street-food-style meals over tourist hubs. Seasonal tourism can tweak prices for short-term stays, but flexibility and planning pay off. Tip: map your must-haves first, then test different areas to balance cost and daily comfort.

In big cities, housing options range from apartment-sharing to polished rentals, often with upfront deposits and negotiation windows; in smaller cities, searches can be quicker and rents more flexible. Daily life leans on local markets, convenience stores, and a robust dining scene, with regional flavors to explore. Transport is well-developed: metros, buses, and bikes are common; ride-hailing is convenient for longer trips. Co-working spaces vary from compact studios to larger hubs with amenities. Errands mix online apps and in-person trips; most payments move through digital wallets. China living cost trends downshift in secondary towns, but seasonality and event periods can shift you a notch. Tip: schedule a few exploratory days in different neighborhoods before committing.

Quality of life in China hinges on pace, access to everyday services, and the blend of city energy with nearby nature. Build a simple budgeting framework: separate fixed costs (housing, utilities) from flexible expenses (food, entertainment), and track irregulars by season. Neighborhood fit matters: prefer areas with walkability, good public transit, and a mix of cafes, markets, and parks. Seasonal patterns influence crowds, travel deals, and service availability, so factor holidays and climate when planning longer stays. Side tips: use local homestays or serviced apartments for longer trials and take advantage of coworking communities to network. Tip: choose a neighborhood that minimizes daily commutes and maximizes access to what you value most.