Cost of living comparison
China is 43.1% cheaper than Iowa.
If you lived in China instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 71.4% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.06
|
$3.04
CN¥21.58
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.56
|
$5.19
CN¥36.84
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$0.49
CN¥3.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.72
|
$0.30
CN¥2.11
|
|
pay 34.5% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.57
|
$1.65
CN¥11.67
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.42
|
$5.98
CN¥42.43
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.44
|
$7.16
CN¥50.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.96
|
$1.65
CN¥11.70
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.79
|
$1.58
CN¥11.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$0.76
CN¥5.41
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.64
|
$0.58
CN¥4.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$0.66
CN¥4.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$0.53
CN¥3.74
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$0.33
CN¥2.33
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$0.41
CN¥2.90
|
|
pay 27.5% less for transportation
|
Iowa
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.22
|
$4.45
CN¥31.54
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.67
|
$22.24
CN¥157.77
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,291.62
|
$19,593.81
CN¥138,988.71
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.84
|
$3.91
CN¥27.73
|
|
pay 74.7% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.69
|
$12.06
CN¥85.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,107.08
|
$335.80
CN¥2,381.99
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$831.82
|
$208.96
CN¥1,482.28
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$140.13
|
$39.78
CN¥282.17
|
|
pay 32.3% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,030.74
|
$483.22
CN¥3,427.71
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,379.75
|
$18,043.44
CN¥127,991.11
|
|
pay 47.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.03
|
$1.08
CN¥7.65
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.05
|
$3.20
CN¥22.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.26
|
$3.22
CN¥22.82
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.83
|
$42.07
CN¥298.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.12
|
$6.01
CN¥42.62
|
|
pay 14.2% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.34
|
$48.74
CN¥345.76
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.37
|
$31.37
CN¥222.51
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.19
|
$73.58
CN¥521.96
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.97
|
$76.83
CN¥544.97
|
|
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