When first we think to move to a new country we need to think about a lot of important issues, and one of them is the living cost. Knowing the living costs of a place will help us make the transition to our new place easier because we will know what to expect. We don’t need surprises in our new adventure.

China is such a big country that it is very difficult to establish a general cost living. However, like all the countries in the world, we can know the differences between big cities like Beijing or Shanghai or small cities. Also, you always can choose the lifestyle according to your budget. You can live in most of China’s major cities for far less than $1000 per month and with good commodities. In business terms, China’s cities are divided into Tiers. This is a classification of the cities according to some measures such as city development, tax policies, lifestyle diversity, etc. Still, this classification is also useful to guess the living style of the cities we are interested in. The biggest and wealthiest cities in the country belong to Tier One. The living costs difference between “Tier-one” and Tier-two are considerable.

Accommodation

The range of the prices of accommodation in China is as wide as you want it to be. For example, rent a nice apartment in the center of the biggest cities can cost around $1000, but if you search for something cheaper you can check in the quiet suburbs. Also, if you search in other less famous but also dynamic cities in China, the cost of the accommodation will decrease and the lifestyle will be still the same.

The cost of a nice apartment in Shanghai is almost $1000 per month and one in Urumqi is $214. In case you still want to live the experience to be in the fun part of the cities with a lot of nightlife, you always can share an apartment. Sharing an apartment help you make friends (great for the new ex-pats) and decrease expenditures. Once that you found the apartment of your dreams, the utilities will not be a problem because the cost of them is China is so low. Unlimited internet is less than $20 per month and electricity and water along with other services are around $50 per month. Again, the utilities will be different depending on the city.

Food

There are a variety of foods and prices in China. It depends on the food style that you prefer and of course the area where you are. Street food is a cheap option, it is meanly Chinese food and the prices are around 2-3CNY. If you want to enjoy a bowl of noodles, some meat or rice you can visit one of the local restaurants. Sometimes maybe you will crab for some western foods, usually, the price is higher than the local food, around 25-60 CNY. In case you consume alcohol, you should know it will increase considerably your expenditures, usually, a drink costs around 50 CNY.

Nonetheless, there are always ways to decrease the money you expend on food, and the easiest one is preparing some of your meals at home. The local markets that are usually in the neighborhoods are so inexpensive and have a diversity of fruits and vegetables. At the supermarkets, you will find a big food diversity and still, the prices are reasonable. A kilo of rice is around 7 CNY, a kilo of tomato 8 CNY and a kilo of chicken breast 26 CNY. As we talked before about the restaurants for ex-pats you can find in the big cities supermarkets that import foreign items. In case you miss some foods like sauces or pasta you can buy from these supermarkets, but be aware that the price will be higher than local foods.

Transportation

The public transportation in China is quite cheap. One ticket for the bus can cost 2 CNY and the monthly pass is around 120 CNY -$ 17. In the case of the subway, the short distances cost 2 CNY and increase if your destinations are for example the other side of the city, however, even though the long distances will be no more than $1,5 in a lot of cities. The rate of taxis is always more expensive than public transportation, an hour of taxi ride can cost you 36 CNY. It will always depend on, of course, the city, the traffic and the time of the day.

As in a lot of cities around the world, the possibility to call for a car from our phone also came to China. The most used app is called DiDi and the only inconvenience that you can find is that it is meanly in Chinese. However, if you know basic Chinese or you have a friend that can help you it is a useful app because the rates are cheaper than a normal taxi.In case you choose to have your car, the price of the gasoline is around 7CNY per liter and a normal new car can cost you 140,000.000 CNY.

Entertainment

The idea of entertainment changes according to the person and circumstances. For example, if you aim to live in China is learning the language a visit to the cinema will cost you $2-3 but if you want to watch the last international release movie it will be around $12. A cup of coffee in a nice cafe will cost around $2 and the membership fee for a month in a gym will cost $57.

In general terms, the lifestyle in China, as in a lot of countries of the world, is related to your choices and necessities. Maybe you would like to live in one of the cities of Tier-one, where you know the accommodation cost will be expensive but you can choose a shared apartment or find another way to save some money. Also, you can find a way to adjust your budget when comes to food. Nevertheless, China is a great destination for ex-pats because the salaries are usually higher than the country’s middle-class, which allows for saving some money.