How Much Does It Cost To: Live In China
So the reality of moving away to a different country can be a little bit stressful, especially one where you can't read, write, speak or understand anything... So, let me tell you something that will ease that stress:
How much does it really cost to live in China??
This is a very broad question, as each Chinese city has a different work/life ratio, for example in Beijing you'll be paid 3x more than in Chengdu, but your accommodation will also cost 2-3x more. Though, if you go to the supermarket, the price difference is very small, if nothing at all. Transportation will cost the same across China, too, so the only big difference from city to city is how much it costs to rent an apartment.
RMB - GBP/USD scale
1RMB = 0.12GBP/0.15USD
10RMB = 1.13GBP/1.15USD
25RMB = 2.83GBP/3.78USD
50RMB = 5.66GBP/7.57USD
100RMB = 11.33GBP/15.14USD
500RMB = 56.66GBP/75.74USD
1000RMB = 113.33GBP/151.49USD
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 To put into perspective the prices below 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
Here is a breakdown of our normal weekly expenses while ...living in Chengdu...
Food shop
Vegetables
3 Carrots, 6 tomatos, 1 red onion, 1 lettuce, 3 cucumbers, 2 broccoli
30RMB
Meat
3 chicken breasts of 500g of mince beef
18RMB
Fruit
7 bananas, 8 oranges
15RMB
Bathroom essentials (every 2 weeks)
Shampoo, condition, soap, toothpaste
70RMB
Other
Jam - 8RMB
Coffee - 30 RMB
Sugar - 8RMB
Salt - 7RMB
Olive oil 500ml - 80RMB
Porridge 1.5kg - 28RMB
Have a look at the video below for our Vlog on some of the strange things you can find in a Chinese supermarket!
Eating out
Local food
Fried noodles/rice 9-13RMB
Noodle soup 11-15RMB
HotPot 40RMB
BBQ 20RMB
Foreign food
Pizza 80RMB
Steak 60RMB
TexMex 120RMB
Burger 28RMB
Fast food 34RMB
Drinking
Bought from shop
Local beer 3.5-8RMB
Red wine (bottle) 30RMB+
Baiju (Chinese vodka) 12RMB+
Imported beers 8RMB+
White Wine (bottle) 60RMB+
Gin (bottle) 40RMB+
Bought from bar
Local beer 10RMB
Red wine (glass) 30RMB
Imported beers 20RMB+
White Wine (glass) 30RMB
Gin + tonic (glass) 20RMB
Transport
Bus - 2RMB per journey, any length
Taxi - 0.5RMB per KM (meter starts at 8RMB)
Metro - 3-6RMB
Shared bike - 0.5RMB+
Train - 468RMB from Chengdu to Hong Kong (2356Km journey)
Buying your own bicycle - 300RMB+
Buying your own eBike - 800RMB+
See the video below for our Vlog that includes the big BIKE REVEAL of Maddy's new Giant bike!
Accommodation
Low budget hotel - 120-150RMB Double room
Mid budget hotel - 150-250RMB Double room
Hostel - 50RMB single bed in 6 bed Dorm/120RMB+ private room
Renting
Western apartment in central location - 4000RMB per month+*
Chinese apartment in central location - 2000RMB per month+*
Shared Western apartment - 1500RMB+*
Shared Chinese apartment - 500RMB+*
*NOTE: you are usually required to pay 3 months rent + deposit (1 months rent) when you sign a contract for an apartment. If you go through an agency you will also have to pay an agency fee of 1/2 or 1 months rent.
Check out the video below for our Vlog where Reggie shows you our new flat!
So, you are in a strange country, a whole new world, where people drive on the wrong side of the road, where spitting in public is completely normal, where the whole country is a bathroom for a child in need... There are many things about China that take some getting used to, but the one thing that is an absolute plus, is how cheaply you can live for!
