Cost of living comparison
China is 61.0% cheaper than London.
- Restaurants
-
pay 76.0% less in China
- Groceries
-
pay 39.6% less in China
- Transportation
-
pay 66.9% less in China
- Housing
-
pay 83.8% less in China
- Childcare
-
pay 57.3% less in China
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 61.3% less in China
- Clothing
-
pay 42.2% less in China
Expenses including housing, restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, childcare, and clothing are lower in China.
If you lived in China instead of London, you would:
pay 76.0% less for restaurants
|
London
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.83
£19.42
|
$2.85
CN¥20.63
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.33
£7.77
|
$5.07
CN¥36.60
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.46
£1.85
|
$0.49
CN¥3.54
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
£1.39
|
$0.30
CN¥2.17
|
|
pay 39.6% less for groceries
|
London
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.07
£1.56
|
$1.59
CN¥11.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.65
£4.24
|
$5.85
CN¥42.27
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.31
£4.74
|
$6.86
CN¥49.57
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.45
£3.34
|
$1.60
CN¥11.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.26
£3.20
|
$1.54
CN¥11.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.56
£1.17
|
$0.76
CN¥5.51
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
£0.57
|
$0.57
CN¥4.14
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.44
£1.08
|
$0.65
CN¥4.72
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.79
£1.35
|
$0.52
CN¥3.78
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.69
£0.52
|
$0.32
CN¥2.32
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.70
£0.53
|
$0.40
CN¥2.89
|
|
pay 66.9% less for transportation
|
London
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.39
£5.56
|
$4.44
CN¥32.11
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$258.31
£194.16
|
$22.47
CN¥162.35
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,531.14
£27,458.78
|
$19,071.53
CN¥137,798.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$35.26
£26.50
|
$3.97
CN¥28.72
|
|
pay 83.8% less for housing
|
London
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.63
£31.29
|
$11.70
CN¥84.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,834.46
£2,130.54
|
$328.33
CN¥2,372.30
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,063.73
£1,551.21
|
$205.78
CN¥1,486.83
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$263.90
£198.36
|
$40.46
CN¥292.33
|
|
pay 57.3% less for childcare
|
London
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,333.60
£1,754.06
|
$459.70
CN¥3,321.48
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,892.30
£20,965.36
|
$18,318.08
CN¥132,354.54
|
|
pay 61.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
London
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.27
£6.21
|
$1.09
CN¥7.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.80
£3.61
|
$3.07
CN¥22.16
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$19.76
£14.85
|
$3.23
CN¥23.36
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.66
£49.36
|
$41.41
CN¥299.19
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.14
£12.13
|
$5.93
CN¥42.81
|
|
pay 42.2% less for clothing
|
London
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$96.94
£72.87
|
$48.23
CN¥348.44
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$50.55
£37.99
|
$31.67
CN¥228.84
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$114.87
£86.34
|
$72.53
CN¥524.03
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$135.36
£101.75
|
$75.53
CN¥545.76
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about China or London. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.