Cost of living comparison

compared to

Manhattan vs. Changchun Cost of Living Summary

Manhattan is 2.3 times more expensive than Changchun.

Restaurants
pay 3.7 times more in Manhattan
Groceries
pay 72.2% more in Manhattan
Transportation
pay 36.3% more in Manhattan
Housing
pay 3.7 times more in Manhattan
Childcare
pay 10.8% less in Manhattan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.5 times more in Manhattan
Clothing
pay 6.1% more in Manhattan

The cost of restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, and clothing in Manhattan are more expensive than in Changchun. Notably, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Manhattan.

Manhattan vs. Changchun Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Manhattan instead of Changchun, you would:

pay 3.7 times more for restaurants

 
Changchun
Manhattan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.98
CN¥19.86
$15.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.22
CN¥34.75
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.23
$2.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 72.2% more for groceries

 
Changchun
Manhattan
Bread
1 loaf
$1.19
CN¥7.94
$3.12
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $17.15
CN¥114.19
$5.79
 
Milk (1 gallon) $7.34
CN¥48.86
$3.23
 

Improve prices ·

pay 36.3% more for transportation

 
Changchun
Manhattan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.79
CN¥31.86
$3.34
 
Monthly public transit pass ?? $60.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,374.76
CN¥129K
$36,054.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 3.7 times more for housing

 
Changchun
Manhattan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$14.92
CN¥99.30
$65.33
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $216.27
CN¥1,439.79
$916.67
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $248.59
CN¥1,654.93
$987.50
 

Improve prices ·

pay 10.8% less for childcare

 
Changchun
Manhattan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $546.89
CN¥3,640.85
$823.33
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $21,626.94
CN¥144K
$11,440.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 2.5 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Changchun
Manhattan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.19
CN¥7.94
$5.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.44
CN¥16.22
$5.50
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.73
CN¥24.82
$9.80
 

Improve prices ·

pay 6.1% more for clothing

 
Changchun
Manhattan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$74.58
CN¥496.48
$48.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$44.75
CN¥297.89
$35.00
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$59.66
CN¥397.18
$89.00
 

Improve prices ·

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in China vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within China and United States.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Manhattan or Changchun. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.