Cost of Living Comparison Between China and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in China:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 119.0% higher than in China (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 155.6% higher than in China
Rent Prices in United States are 284.4% higher than in China
Restaurant Prices in United States are 226.6% higher than in China
Groceries Prices in United States are 115.1% higher than in China
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 83.8% higher than in China

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	China Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	20.00 ¥ (2.74 $)	145.74 ¥ (20.00 $)	+628.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	180.00 ¥ (24.70 $)	546.52 ¥ (75.00 $)	+203.6 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	35.00 ¥ (4.80 $)	81.69 ¥ (11.21 $)	+133.4 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	7.00 ¥ (0.96 $)	43.72 ¥ (6.00 $)	+524.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	15.00 ¥ (2.06 $)	51.01 ¥ (7.00 $)	+240.1 %
Cappuccino (regular)	22.19 ¥ (3.05 $)	38.11 ¥ (5.23 $)	+71.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	3.29 ¥ (0.45 $)	18.67 ¥ (2.56 $)	+467.2 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.06 ¥ (0.28 $)	15.23 ¥ (2.09 $)	+638.1 %
Markets	China Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	49.17 ¥ (6.75 $)	29.16 ¥ (4.00 $)	-40.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	10.87 ¥ (1.49 $)	23.98 ¥ (3.29 $)	+120.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	3.06 ¥ (0.42 $)	15.24 ¥ (2.09 $)	+397.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	11.61 ¥ (1.59 $)	30.82 ¥ (4.23 $)	+165.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	42.50 ¥ (5.83 $)	42.71 ¥ (5.86 $)	+0.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	10.81 ¥ (1.48 $)	40.22 ¥ (5.52 $)	+272.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	35.25 ¥ (4.84 $)	53.79 ¥ (7.38 $)	+52.6 %
Apples (1 lb)	5.79 ¥ (0.79 $)	17.45 ¥ (2.39 $)	+201.2 %
Banana (1 lb)	4.13 ¥ (0.57 $)	5.54 ¥ (0.76 $)	+34.0 %
Oranges (1 lb)	4.86 ¥ (0.67 $)	14.87 ¥ (2.04 $)	+205.8 %
Tomato (1 lb)	3.82 ¥ (0.52 $)	16.24 ¥ (2.23 $)	+325.2 %
Potato (1 lb)	2.44 ¥ (0.34 $)	9.70 ¥ (1.33 $)	+296.6 %
Onion (1 lb)	2.96 ¥ (0.41 $)	10.18 ¥ (1.40 $)	+243.9 %
Lettuce (1 head)	4.35 ¥ (0.60 $)	16.06 ¥ (2.20 $)	+268.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	3.97 ¥ (0.55 $)	16.23 ¥ (2.23 $)	+308.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	80.00 ¥ (10.98 $)	109.30 ¥ (15.00 $)	+36.6 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	5.78 ¥ (0.79 $)	14.21 ¥ (1.95 $)	+145.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.79 ¥ (1.62 $)	26.17 ¥ (3.59 $)	+121.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	25.00 ¥ (3.43 $)	72.87 ¥ (10.00 $)	+191.5 %
Transportation	China Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	3.00 ¥ (0.41 $)	18.22 ¥ (2.50 $)	+507.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	180.00 ¥ (24.70 $)	473.65 ¥ (65.00 $)	+163.1 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	10.00 ¥ (1.37 $)	27.33 ¥ (3.75 $)	+173.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	4.02 ¥ (0.55 $)	20.40 ¥ (2.80 $)	+407.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	48.00 ¥ (6.59 $)	218.61 ¥ (30.00 $)	+355.4 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	31.22 ¥ (4.28 $)	25.55 ¥ (3.51 $)	-18.2 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	140,000.00 ¥ (19,212.30 $)	218,610.00 ¥ (30,000.00 $)	+56.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	121,476.31 ¥ (16,670.28 $)	189,194.24 ¥ (25,963.26 $)	+55.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)	China Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	370.92 ¥ (50.90 $)	1,516.26 ¥ (208.08 $)	+308.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	71.98 ¥ (9.88 $)	417.03 ¥ (57.23 $)	+479.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	83.46 ¥ (11.45 $)	520.92 ¥ (71.49 $)	+524.2 %
Sports And Leisure	China Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	293.23 ¥ (40.24 $)	338.88 ¥ (46.50 $)	+15.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	108.84 ¥ (14.94 $)	159.65 ¥ (21.91 $)	+46.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	45.00 ¥ (6.18 $)	104.68 ¥ (14.36 $)	+132.6 %
Childcare	China Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	3,014.47 ¥ (413.68 $)	10,031.54 ¥ (1,376.64 $)	+232.8 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	128,209.24 ¥ (17,594.24 $)	164,719.32 ¥ (22,604.54 $)	+28.5 %
Clothing And Shoes	China Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	334.99 ¥ (45.97 $)	379.79 ¥ (52.12 $)	+13.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	235.66 ¥ (32.34 $)	310.19 ¥ (42.57 $)	+31.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	523.21 ¥ (71.80 $)	653.05 ¥ (89.62 $)	+24.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	546.40 ¥ (74.98 $)	824.67 ¥ (113.17 $)	+50.9 %
Rent Per Month	China Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	3,194.30 ¥ (438.36 $)	12,701.19 ¥ (1,742.99 $)	+297.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,944.31 ¥ (266.82 $)	10,484.90 ¥ (1,438.85 $)	+439.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	6,964.65 ¥ (955.76 $)	21,181.49 ¥ (2,906.75 $)	+204.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	4,002.89 ¥ (549.32 $)	17,541.39 ¥ (2,407.22 $)	+338.2 %
Buy Apartment Price	China Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	4,485.77 ¥ (615.59 $)	2,205.94 ¥ (302.72 $)	-50.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	2,197.51 ¥ (301.57 $)	1,836.12 ¥ (251.97 $)	-16.4 %
Salaries And Financing	China Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	6,727.60 ¥ (923.23 $)	31,601.06 ¥ (4,336.64 $)	+369.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	4.13	6.51	+57.5 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	1313	10758

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