Cost of living comparison
compared to
China vs. Michigan Cost of Living Summary
China is 46.0% cheaper than Michigan.
- Restaurants
-
pay 74.5% less in China
- Groceries
-
pay 37.5% less in China
- Transportation
-
pay 35.7% less in China
- Housing
-
pay 77.2% less in China
- Childcare
-
pay 39.4% less in China
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 45.4% less in China
- Clothing
-
pay 12.4% less in China
Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, childcare, groceries, and transportation are lower in China.
China vs. Michigan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in China instead of Michigan, you would:
pay 74.5% less for restaurants
|
Michigan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.26
|
$2.90
CN¥20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.06
|
$5.02
CN¥35.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.43
|
$0.47
CN¥3.36
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.77
|
$0.28
CN¥1.96
|
|
Michigan vs. China - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.5% less for groceries
|
Michigan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.02
|
$1.63
CN¥11.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.45
|
$6.32
CN¥44.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.20
|
$6.70
CN¥47.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.00
|
$1.56
CN¥11.05
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$1.52
CN¥10.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.32
|
$0.74
CN¥5.25
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.55
CN¥3.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.03
|
$0.62
CN¥4.41
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$0.30
CN¥2.13
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.39
CN¥2.79
|
|
Michigan vs. China - Cost of groceries
pay 35.7% less for transportation
|
Michigan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.28
|
$4.34
CN¥30.68
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.54
|
$20.32
CN¥143.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,599.47
|
$19,143.98
CN¥135,449.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.29
|
$3.94
CN¥27.89
|
|
Michigan vs. China - Cost of transportation
pay 77.2% less for housing
|
Michigan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.76
|
$11.18
CN¥79.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,257.26
|
$304.90
CN¥2,157.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,053.74
|
$195.65
CN¥1,384.25
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$136.74
|
$41.04
CN¥290.39
|
|
Michigan vs. China - Cost of housing
pay 39.4% less for childcare
|
Michigan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,153.90
|
$390.25
CN¥2,761.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,706.02
|
$15,493.57
CN¥109,621.66
|
|
Michigan vs. China - Cost of childcare
pay 45.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Michigan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.77
|
$1.04
CN¥7.37
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.65
|
$2.84
CN¥20.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.12
|
$3.36
CN¥23.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.31
|
$41.13
CN¥290.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.16
|
$5.98
CN¥42.33
|
|
Michigan vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.4% less for clothing
|
Michigan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.69
|
$45.93
CN¥324.95
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.31
|
$30.93
CN¥218.85
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.56
|
$71.26
CN¥504.18
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.99
|
$72.88
CN¥515.65
|
|
Michigan vs. China - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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