Cost of living comparison
China is 56.5% cheaper than California.
If you lived in China instead of California, you would:
pay 77.6% less for restaurants
|
California
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.02
|
$2.85
CN¥20.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.52
|
$5.07
CN¥36.83
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.71
|
$0.49
CN¥3.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
|
$0.30
CN¥2.18
|
|
pay 51.2% less for groceries
|
California
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.14
|
$1.59
CN¥11.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.95
|
$5.85
CN¥42.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
|
$6.86
CN¥49.87
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$1.60
CN¥11.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.70
|
$1.54
CN¥11.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$0.76
CN¥5.54
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.57
CN¥4.17
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$0.65
CN¥4.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$0.52
CN¥3.81
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
|
$0.32
CN¥2.33
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$0.40
CN¥2.91
|
|
pay 47.1% less for transportation
|
California
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
|
$4.44
CN¥32.31
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.05
|
$22.47
CN¥163.36
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,005.28
|
$19,071.53
CN¥138,655.77
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.07
|
$3.97
CN¥28.90
|
|
pay 83.9% less for housing
|
California
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.54
|
$11.70
CN¥85.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,371.29
|
$328.33
CN¥2,387.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,055.18
|
$205.78
CN¥1,496.08
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.68
|
$40.46
CN¥294.15
|
|
pay 56.7% less for childcare
|
California
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,682.51
|
$459.70
CN¥3,342.14
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,905.75
|
$18,318.08
CN¥133,177.94
|
|
pay 58.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$1.09
CN¥7.93
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.34
|
$3.07
CN¥22.30
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.91
|
$3.23
CN¥23.51
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.35
|
$41.41
CN¥301.05
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
|
$5.93
CN¥43.08
|
|
pay 20.0% less for clothing
|
California
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.77
|
$48.23
CN¥350.61
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.15
|
$31.67
CN¥230.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.15
|
$72.53
CN¥527.29
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.31
|
$75.53
CN¥549.16
|
|
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