Cost of Living in Guangzhou

Summary of cost of living in Guangzhou, China:

  • The estimated monthly costs for a family of four are 2,170.2$ (15,457.7¥), excluding rent (using our estimator).
  • The estimated monthly costs for a single person are 582.1$ (4,146.1¥), excluding rent.
  • Guangzhou is 60.8% less expensive than Seattle (excluding rent, see our cost of living index).
  • Rent in Guangzhou is, on average, 79.7% lower than in Seattle.
Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 ¥ 15.00-35.00
Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks) 200.00 ¥ 130.00-300.00
Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal) 32.00 ¥ 30.00-40.00
Domestic Draft Beer (1 Pint) 7.56 ¥ 5.00-20.00
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle) 15.00 ¥ 8.00-20.00
Cappuccino (Regular Size) 21.83 ¥ 9.90-35.00
Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 12 oz Small Bottle) 3.43 ¥ 3.00-5.00
Bottled Water (12 oz) 2.08 ¥ 2.00-3.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (Regular, 1 Liter) 13.94 ¥ 9.90-20.00
Fresh White Bread (1 lb Loaf) 13.19 ¥ 7.26-27.22
White Rice (1 lb) 3.96 ¥ 2.27-5.44
Eggs (12, Large Size) 11.19 ¥ 8.00-24.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 57.27 ¥ 27.22-90.72
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 19.61 ¥ 7.00-30.39
Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 lb) 44.57 ¥ 31.75-80.00
Apples (1 lb) 6.57 ¥ 4.54-9.98
Bananas (1 lb) 3.52 ¥ 2.72-10.00
Oranges (1 lb) 5.69 ¥ 2.72-14.00
Tomatoes (1 lb) 4.92 ¥ 2.04-6.35
Potatoes (1 lb) 2.79 ¥ 1.81-4.08
Onions (1 lb) 4.10 ¥ 2.27-5.44
Lettuce (1 Head) 5.00 ¥ 3.00-7.00
Bottled Water (50 oz) 4.77 ¥ 3.00-8.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 55.00 ¥ 35.00-100.00
Domestic Beer (16.9 oz Bottle) 7.67 ¥ 6.00-8.57
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle) 11.60 ¥ 8.00-25.00
Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro) 25.00 ¥ 25.00-45.00
Transportation
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One-Way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.00 ¥ 2.00-5.00
Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price) 180.00 ¥ 80.00-300.00
Taxi Start (Standard Tariff) 12.00 ¥ 12.00-14.00
Taxi 1 mile (Standard Tariff) 4.51 ¥ 3.22-10.46
Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff) 55.00 ¥ 40.00-80.00
Gasoline (1 Liter) 8.30 ¥ 7.50-8.90
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car) 155,000.00 ¥ 116,800.00-160,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-Size Car) 150,985.71 ¥ 116,900.00-190,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic Utilities for 915 Square Feet Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) 423.05 ¥ 300.00-700.00
Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data) 88.88 ¥ 45.00-150.00
Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher) 101.38 ¥ 60.00-200.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Monthly Fitness Club Membership 397.30 ¥ 150.00-1,200.00
Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend) 78.33 ¥ 30.00-160.00
Cinema Ticket (International Release) 42.00 ¥ 35.00-60.00
Childcare
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Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child 2,478.89 ¥ 1,000.00-4,500.00
International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child 106,833.33 ¥ 50,000.00-171,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
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Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar) 273.85 ¥ 99.00-500.00
Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M) 222.73 ¥ 100.00-400.00
Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 496.85 ¥ 300.00-750.00
Men's Leather Business Shoes 430.89 ¥ 250.00-700.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre 3,821.43 ¥ 2,000.00-7,000.00
1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre 1,758.82 ¥ 1,000.00-4,000.00
3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre 8,066.67 ¥ 6,000.00-12,000.00
3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre 3,994.74 ¥ 3,000.00-7,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 6,029.90 ¥ 4,645.11-8,268.30
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 2,195.95 ¥ 1,858.05-3,065.77
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 9,349.65 ¥
Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %) 4.03 3.10-6.00

Prices in Guangzhou

This city had 907 entries in the past 12 months by 110 different contributors.
Last update: 26 October 2025
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
  
  
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3 Comments so far
Rick on Aug 21, 2023:
To answer Jayanth, averagely for a Senior software Dev or Dev lead in GZ can make up to 30-40K RMB per month before tax, some of the extraordinary ones can make up to a million RMB per year. Software industry is a high income area so this is expected.

for a normal person in the city they make around 7K-10K normally, regardless of occupation, just a standard making of living, you can't dream for a property owning by this income but you live decent if you just rent places or, if lucky enough you are from local.
Anonymous on Jul 01, 2021:
to Kamran: between2400~3000
daily expense varies a lot, from 3k to max
Jayanth on Sep 09, 2020:
May I know what is the average salary for a development lead in Guangzhou and what’s the max I can demand for as a foreigner . Can any one suggest