Cost of Living in China

Despite rising prices, the cost of living in China remains significantly lower than in most industrialised countries. With your teaching salary, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how comfortably you can live and how far your money can go.

Living in China comes with numerous lifestyle perks. Imagine hiring a cleaning service occasionally, dining out regularly, enjoying monthly travel adventures, indulging in massages, and experiencing vibrant nightlife, all without stretching your budget. You can even afford tailor-made clothing for a fraction of what it would cost elsewhere.

Curious about the actual cost of living? Here’s a glimpse at some everyday expenses to help you decide if teaching in China is the right move for you.

Food

Shopping at local markets is one of the best ways to experience everyday life in China. Fresh produce, meat and household essentials are widely available at very affordable prices, giving our teachers an authentic insight into the local diet, food culture and traditional ingredients commonly used in Chinese cooking. Buying locally also helps keep the cost of living low, leaving more money to enjoy travelling and exploring everything China (or Asia) has to offer.

Milk (1L): 7 RMB (approx. $0.95 USD)
Eggs (12): 7 RMB (approx. $0.95 USD)
Rice (1kg): 8 RMB (approx. $1.09 USD)
Chicken breast (1kg): 15 RMB (approx. $2.05 USD)
Pork (1kg): 25 RMB (approx. $3.40 USD)
Fresh fish (1kg): 30 RMB (approx. $4.10 USD)
Carrots (1kg): 5 RMB (approx. $0.68 USD)
Potatoes (1kg): 4 RMB (approx. $0.55 USD)
Tomatoes (1kg): 8 RMB (approx. $1.09 USD)
Bananas (1kg): 8 RMB (approx. $1.09 USD)
Apples (1kg): 10 RMB (approx. $1.36 USD)
Leafy greens (1kg): 5 RMB (approx. $0.68 USD)
Tofu (500g): 4 RMB (approx. $0.55 USD)
Cooking oil (1L): 15 RMB (approx. $2.05 USD)
Bottle of water (1.5L): 3 RMB (approx. $0.41 USD)
Bottle of beer (500ml): 4 RMB (approx. $0.54 USD)

Leisure activities

China has a wide range of regional cuisines, and eating out is the best way to discover this variety. Chinese people eat out frequently and often entertain friends and colleagues in restaurants instead of having them in their homes.

Whether you’re enjoying a meal with friends, working out at the fitness club, or getting a massage, you’ll find that leisure activities are often very affordable in China.

Three-course mid-range restaurant dinner: 80 RMB/10.91 USD
Quick restaurant meal of rice or noodles: 25 RMB/3.41 USD
Large steamed dumplings, a common street food: 3 RMB/0.41 USD
Housekeeper (2 hours): 80 RMB/10.91 USD
Massage (30 min): 100 RMB/13.64 USD
One-month fitness club membership: 1,000 RMB/136.36 USD
Movie ticket, international release: 65 RMB/8.86 USD

Transportation

China has excellent, yet inexpensive public transport, and even taxi rides are quite reasonably priced. Chinese people often commute by bicycle, but this mode of transport is only for the bravest of foreigners.

Metro journey (single fare): 3 RMB (approx. $0.41 USD)
City bus (single fare): 2 RMB (approx. $0.27 USD)
Taxi: Starting fare 10 RMB, then 2.2 RMB per km (approx. $1.36 USD start fare + $0.30 USD per km)
Typical 20-minute taxi journey: 25 RMB (approx. $3.40 USD)
Bicycle hire (3 hours): 8 RMB (approx. $1.09 USD), plus a 100 RMB refundable deposit (approx. $13.60 USD)
Ferry crossing (where available): 2 RMB (approx. $0.27 USD)
High-speed rail (100 km journey): 50–80 RMB (approx. $6.80–$10.90 USD)

Cheap travel

Any traveler on a budget will love taking trains in China. Trains are numerous, and increasingly high-speed rail services connect large regional cities. Domestic flights are also usually inexpensive. There is seasonal variation, and prices rise during national holidays like Chinese New Year.

One night in a mid-range hotel: 350 RMB/47.74 USD
The high-speed train, Guangzhou to Wuhan (3 hours): 490 RMB/66.86 USD
Slow train, Guangzhou to Wuhan (10 hours): 120 RMB/16.38 USD
Flight one-way, Guangzhou to Beijing (2 hours): 800 RMB/109.09 USD
Flight one-way, Guangzhou to Bangkok (3 hours): 1,300 RMB/177.73 USD

Cost of living in China

A lot of teachers often ask about salary. To give you an idea of how teachers at English 1 in China spend their salary, here is a sample monthly budget with the average cost of living in China:

Gross Income (Base Salary): Around 15,000 RMB/2,046.00 USD
Rent: 3,000–4,500 RMB/409–614 USD
Utilities (electricity, gas, water): 200 RMB/27.28 USD
Phone and Internet: 300 RMB/40.91 USD
Food: 2,000 RMB/273.64 USD
Insurance: 300 RMB/40.91 USD
Remaining Disposable Income: 9,200 RMB/1,255.00 USD

Frequently asked questions

How much is rent in China?

Is it expensive to live in China?

How much does it cost to live in China?

We have responsibilities when living in China – rent, bills, all those things we probably all thought we could outrun one day. Rent will be the greatest expense, even if you negotiate a decent price.

Finding some roommates will drastically reduce your rental costs, and you’ll find that it’s a lot of fun too, as you’ll be sharing with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Electricity/Gas/Water bills are much cheaper in China than back home, even more so if you’re splitting the cost with roommates. Expect to spend approximately 30-40% of your salary on your rent plus living expenses.

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