Cost of living comparison
compared to
China vs. Pennsylvania Cost of Living Summary
China is 53.0% cheaper than Pennsylvania.
- Restaurants
-
pay 75.5% less in China
- Groceries
-
pay 49.3% less in China
- Transportation
-
pay 38.8% less in China
- Housing
-
pay 79.2% less in China
- Childcare
-
pay 58.8% less in China
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 48.5% less in China
- Clothing
-
pay 20.6% less in China
Expenses including housing, restaurants, childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in China.
China vs. Pennsylvania Cost Breakdown
If you lived in China instead of Pennsylvania, you would:
pay 75.5% less for restaurants
|
Pennsylvania
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.35
|
$2.90
CN¥20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.53
|
$5.02
CN¥35.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
|
$0.47
CN¥3.36
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$0.28
CN¥1.96
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. China - Cost of restaurants
pay 49.3% less for groceries
|
Pennsylvania
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.50
|
$1.63
CN¥11.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.29
|
$6.32
CN¥44.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.21
|
$6.70
CN¥47.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.15
|
$1.56
CN¥11.05
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.39
|
$1.52
CN¥10.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$0.74
CN¥5.25
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
|
$0.55
CN¥3.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$0.62
CN¥4.41
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$0.30
CN¥2.13
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$0.39
CN¥2.79
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. China - Cost of groceries
pay 38.8% less for transportation
|
Pennsylvania
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.27
|
$4.34
CN¥30.68
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.77
|
$20.32
CN¥143.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,293.42
|
$19,143.98
CN¥135,449.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.76
|
$3.94
CN¥27.89
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. China - Cost of transportation
pay 79.2% less for housing
|
Pennsylvania
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.32
|
$11.18
CN¥79.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,401.89
|
$304.90
CN¥2,157.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,229.68
|
$195.65
CN¥1,384.25
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.67
|
$41.04
CN¥290.39
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. China - Cost of housing
pay 58.8% less for childcare
|
Pennsylvania
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,240.98
|
$390.25
CN¥2,761.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,464.89
|
$15,493.57
CN¥109,621.66
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. China - Cost of childcare
pay 48.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Pennsylvania
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$1.04
CN¥7.37
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$2.84
CN¥20.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.28
|
$3.36
CN¥23.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.69
|
$41.13
CN¥290.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.09
|
$5.98
CN¥42.33
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.6% less for clothing
|
Pennsylvania
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.59
|
$45.93
CN¥324.95
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.05
|
$30.93
CN¥218.85
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.26
|
$71.26
CN¥504.18
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$104.87
|
$72.88
CN¥515.65
|
|
Pennsylvania 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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