China Sample Monthly Expense Breakdown:

Cost of living can vary greatly in China. In megacities like Beijing or Shanghai, expect to spend a substantial amount of your income if you seek a Western lifestyle. However, in many other cities, the expenses are much lower, and many of your employers will offer housing assistance. Please see below for a "middle-of-the-road" breakdown, based on what you would expect to see in a "second-tier"city like Nanjing.

Monthly Rent

- Typical studio or one-bedroom apartment : ￥2000
- Two-bedroom with basic furniture: ￥3500-6000

Food

- American-style fast food: ￥20-30 （McDonalds)
- Can of Coke: ￥2-5
- Bottle of water: ￥1-3
- Loaf of bread: ￥5-15
- Typical Chinese Meal: ￥10-15

Transportation

- Bus: ￥2-3 (air-con bus)
- Subway: ￥2-￥6
- Taxi: ￥10（first 3 km), ￥3 per km thereafter
- Train:  ￥146 to Shanghai
- High Speed Rail: ￥233 (first class seats) to Shanghai
- Bicyle: ￥300-400 (for new one)

Phone

- Landline: ￥30 monthly fee, phone only, without broadband.
- Landline with broadband: ￥1300/year.
- Mobile: ￥20−￥100, depending on usage plan, setup cost ￥30. ￥200/month would be a very good package.

(note: ￥6.31 to US$1)