Popular cities
China Cost of Living 2026
🇨🇳 22 cities in China, sorted by daily travel budget. Not the exchange rate — how cheap it feels on your own income, and where a price becomes a rip-off. Updated October 2026
Cities in China compared
| City | Per day | Per month | Local meal | Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 YanjiMid-size city | $66.4 | $1,022 | ¥30 | ¥22 |
| 🇨🇳 KunmingBig city | $70.2 | $1,085 | ¥25 | ¥22 |
| 🇨🇳 GuilinTourist · mid-size | $71.6 | $986 | ¥20 | ¥20 |
| 🇨🇳 ChongqingTourist big city | $71.8 | $1,298 | ¥20 | ¥22 |
| 🇨🇳 DaliTourist · mid-size | $72.4 | $1,110 | ¥20 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 ZhangjiajieTourist · mid-size | $73.3 | $972 | ¥25 | ¥18 |
| 🇨🇳 LijiangTourist · mid-size | $73.4 | $1,258 | ¥35 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 HarbinBig city | $74.7 | $1,202 | ¥25 | ¥22 |
| 🇨🇳 HuangshanTourist · mid-size | $75.4 | $1,170 | ¥25 | ¥20 |
| 🇨🇳 DalianBig city · coast | $77.8 | $1,326 | ¥30 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 SuzhouTourist big city | $78 | $1,762 | ¥25 | ¥28 |
| 🇨🇳 Xi'anTourist big city | $82.1 | $1,158 | ¥25 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 NanjingBig city | $82.1 | $1,612 | ¥30 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 ChengduBig city | $85.2 | $1,654 | ¥30 | ¥28 |
| 🇨🇳 SanyaResort | $87.8 | $1,667 | ¥30 | ¥18 |
| 🇨🇳 ShenzhenBig city | $89.8 | $2,107 | ¥28 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 XiamenBig city · coast | $90.3 | $1,590 | ¥30 | ¥28 |
| 🇨🇳 GuangzhouBig city | $90.9 | $1,474 | ¥30 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 QingdaoBig city · coast | $93 | $1,280 | ¥30 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 BeijingBig city | $98.1 | $2,455 | ¥30 | ¥25 |
| 🇨🇳 HangzhouTourist big city | $101 | $2,053 | ¥30 | ¥30 |
| 🇨🇳 ShanghaiBig city | $118 | $2,712 | ¥35 | ¥28 |
Per day = one mid-range night + three meals, a coffee and two taxi rides. Open a city for item-by-item prices, rip-off thresholds and live traveler reports.
Everyday prices in China
| City | Beer | 5 km taxi | Hotel night | Massage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 Yanji | ¥10 | ¥10 | ¥230 | ¥100 |
| 🇨🇳 Kunming | ¥12 | ¥16 | ¥260 | ¥90 |
| 🇨🇳 Guilin | ¥10 | ¥15 | ¥300 | ¥90 |
| 🇨🇳 Chongqing | ¥10 | ¥15 | ¥280 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Dali | ¥15 | ¥12 | ¥300 | ¥100 |
| 🇨🇳 Zhangjiajie | ¥10 | ¥13 | ¥300 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Lijiang | ¥15 | ¥15 | ¥250 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Harbin | ¥12 | ¥15 | ¥300 | ¥100 |
| 🇨🇳 Huangshan | ¥10 | ¥13 | ¥300 | ¥100 |
| 🇨🇳 Dalian | ¥15 | ¥15 | ¥280 | ¥100 |
| 🇨🇳 Suzhou | ¥15 | ¥16 | ¥300 | ¥150 |
| 🇨🇳 Xi'an | ¥15 | ¥14 | ¥350 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Nanjing | ¥15 | ¥16 | ¥320 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Chengdu | ¥25 | ¥18 | ¥320 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Sanya | ¥12 | ¥18 | ¥350 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Shenzhen | ¥15 | ¥17 | ¥350 | ¥160 |
| 🇨🇳 Xiamen | ¥15 | ¥15 | ¥350 | ¥150 |
| 🇨🇳 Guangzhou | ¥15 | ¥18 | ¥350 | ¥130 |
| 🇨🇳 Qingdao | ¥12 | ¥14 | ¥400 | ¥120 |
| 🇨🇳 Beijing | ¥20 | ¥18 | ¥400 | ¥200 |
| 🇨🇳 Hangzhou | ¥15 | ¥18 | ¥400 | ¥150 |
| 🇨🇳 Shanghai | ¥30 | ¥20 | ¥500 | ¥200 |
China vs nearby countries
| Country | Per day | Per month | vs China |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | $73.3 | $1,381 | -12% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $74.2 | $1,266 | -10% |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | $82 | $1,546 | -1% |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | $82.7 | $1,038 | 0% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $82.8 | $1,498 | this country |
| 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | $82.9 | $1,284 | 0% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | $83.2 | $1,313 | 0% |
| 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | $92.8 | $1,613 | +12% |
Countries in the same region with a similar daily travel budget. Tap a country for its city-by-city prices.
Shanghai vs New York: item by item
| Item | Shanghai | New York | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local meal | ¥35≈ $4.93 | $20 | -75% |
| Coffee | ¥28≈ $3.94 | $6 | -34% |
| Beer | ¥30≈ $4.23 | $9 | -53% |
| 5 km taxi | ¥20≈ $2.82 | $23 | -88% |
| Hotel night | ¥500≈ $70.4 | $270 | -74% |
| 1-bed rent | ¥6,000≈ $845 | $3,300 | -74% |
Same purchase in both cities, converted to US dollars. Daily travel budget: Shanghai $118 vs New York $467 — about 75% cheaper.
Compare China with other cities
Money tips for China
Paying
Alipay and WeChat Pay are close to essential; link a foreign card. Many places refuse cash or foreign cards.
Tipping
No tipping.
Menu prices
Prices are usually as listed.
Getting around
Metros are excellent; hail taxis with DiDi.
Haggling
Haggle hard at markets and souvenir streets; starting at half or less is normal.
Water
Boil tap water; bottled is recommended.
Common rip-offs
The "tea tasting" or "art show" invitation near sights that ends with a huge bill.
China travel difficulty
| City | Overall | Rip-offs | Language | Transport | Payments | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu | Moderate 2.4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Guangzhou | Moderate 2.4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Nanjing | Moderate 2.4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Shanghai | Moderate 2.4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Shenzhen | Moderate 2.4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Beijing | Moderate 2.6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Chongqing | Moderate 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Dalian | Moderate 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Hangzhou | Moderate 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Kunming | Moderate 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Qingdao | Moderate 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Suzhou | Moderate 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Xiamen | Moderate 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Harbin | Moderate 2.8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Sanya | Moderate 2.8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Xi'an | Moderate 2.8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Yanji | Moderate 2.8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Dali | Hard 3.0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Guilin | Hard 3.0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Huangshan | Hard 3.0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Lijiang | Hard 3.0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Zhangjiajie | Hard 3.0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Rip-offs, language, getting around, payments and safety, 1–5 (closer to 1 is easier). Tap a city for reasons and tips. Full difficulty ranking ›
City guides
FAQ
How much is a daily travel budget in China?
With a mid-range room, between $66.4 and $118 a day depending on the city — about $82.8 on average. Hostels and local eateries cut that by 30% or more.
How much does a month in China cost?
Short-term rental plus living costs runs $1,022–$2,712 by city, about $1,498 on average.
Which city in China is cheapest?
By daily budget, Yanji ($66.4/day) is the cheapest and Shanghai ($118/day) the most expensive.
Which nearby country is cheaper than China?
Among countries in the same region with similar budgets, Cambodia runs about $73.3 a day — 12% less than China (about $82.8).
Is China cheaper than New York?
In Shanghai, a traveler's day runs about $118 versus $467 in New York — roughly 75% cheaper. The gap differs by item, so meals, coffee, taxis and hotels are listed separately above.