Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Water is RMB4 per cubic meter, which might work out to be about RMB50-100 per
month for apartments. Families in villas, however, may find their water bills get up to
RMB350 per month.
Natural gas is about RMB1.2 per cubic meter, which can work out at about
RMB100-300 per year.
Píngf
ā
ng
and
sìhéyuàn
units often have gas bottles rather than con-
nected gas, and you'll need to refill these yourself. These cost RMB40 if you have a gas
ID card (your landlord should give you this) or RMB100 without it. A single person will
probably go through one of these bottles every month.
Mainland-produced food products, be they packaged or fresh, have earned themselves hor-
rific reputations in the last several years. Scandal after scandal seems to taint every corner
of the food pyramid—including pesticides that cover tea, fruit, and vegetables; excessive
levels of hormones in pork; melamine in milk products; and more. Even Chinese people
clamor to get imported milk powder for their babies. If you're willing to turn a blind eye
to the potential health issues, you can eat extremely cheaply, and as an unfussy single
you could very easily get by on RMB50-100 a day. More and more expats, and even loc-
als, however, are reaching for organic and imported goods, which, of course, are much
more expensive and likely to expand your budget generously. Local M&Ms, for example,
cost RMB4-5, while the imported American ones cost RMB9-10. A 600-milliliter carton
of local milk costs around RMB6, a carton of local organic milk costs RMB13-15, and
imported fresh milk costs RMB30-45 per liter. A family of four could very easily spend
RMB2,000-3,000 per week on groceries.
The cheapest places to buy your fresh produce are the fresh produce markets, sometimes
called wet markets. These are exciting places to go, and food is often three or four times
cheaper (and fresher) than what you'll get at the supermarket. For example, an avocado at
a produce market costs around RMB10, while at a “high level” supermarket it could cost
as much as RMB40-80. The USB survey also took a basket of 39 food items and compared
prices across the various cities. The average overall price was US$424. New York came
in at US$552, London at US$436, and Beijing at US$463. Tokyo topped the rankings at
US$928.
Local dining doesn't need to be expensive and can cost as little as RMB20 for lunch
and RMB50 for a very filling dinner. Eating at a modern Western establishment in a place
like Sanlitun or Guomao, however, can range RMB50-120 for lunch, RMB100-500 for din-
ner. Drinking out usually averages at RMB40-55 for beers and cocktails in local places and
