I'm Yaning, from China.

In today's video,

I want to share a bit about the cost of living i n big Chinese cities.

No matter where you live,

life offers different spending brackets.

If you have more to spend, you can live more comfortably.

and if you're on a tighter budget,

there are always practical ways to get by.

So today,

let's steer clear of extreme cases and just focus on what everyday people typically spend on their daily lives.

In China,

the cost of living in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai

is pretty similar across the board.

Since I live in Beijing

I'll use it as an example to give you a sense of things.

The single biggest expense in big Chinese cities is housing.

Compared to smaller cities,

metropolises offer better infrastructure,

as well as superior education and healthcare.

Of course,

people also earn more in big cities.

That's why housing costs in big cities are dramatically higher.

This is where the gap between large and small cities is the most pronounced.

While home prices have come down a lot over the past few years.

they're still pretty high for the average person in a city like Beijing.

Take my neighborhood as an example.

It's an old residential complex built over twenty years ago.

with average property management,

located in an average area.

That said,

it's close to the subway and shopping districts,

so daily life is pretty convenient.

Overall, it's an average place by Beijing standards.

The property price here is around 40,000 yuan/㎡,

about 5,900 dollars.

If you're renting,

a 60㎡ apartment in this complex goes for roughly 6,500 yuan a month,

about 960 dollars.

In Beijing,

many single young people choose to share a two-bedroom or three-bedroom apartment in more affordable neighborhoods.

Even with roommates,

the minimum monthly cost per room is around 2,000 to 3,000 yuan,

which is roughly 300 to 450 dollars.

On top of that,

homeowners also need to pay property management fees and heating fees.

In my neighborhood,

the property management fee is 30 yuan /㎡/year， about 4.45 dollars.

The heating fee is also 30 yuan/㎡/year.

Central heating is provided from November through March every year in northern China.

As for utilities,

I think electricity and water aren't too expensive.

My household pays about 100 yuan a month for electricity, around 14.80 dollars.

and roughly 50 yuan for water, about 7.40 dollars.

My apartment doesn't have gas,

so we don't have a gas bill.

But if you do,

the rate in Beijing is less than 3 yuan/m³, or about 0.44 dollars.

The second big one is transportation.

Beijing's public transit is really convenient，

well-connected，

and affordable.

Most people just take the bus or the subway to get around.

A bus ride costs anywhere from 1 to 3 yuan, about 15 to 45 cents,depending on the distance.

The subway will run you 4 to 10 yuan, roughly 60 cents to 1.50 dollars for a one-way trip.

that's enough for most commutes.

Many families in Beijing own a car.

Gas is around 8.5 yuan/L, about 1.25 dollars.

It's not the cheapest,

so a lot of people have switched to electric vehicles which saves a lot of money.

And it's not just Beijing,

electric vehicles are becoming more and more common in cities across China.

Parking in Beijing is another matter.

It's expensive, public lots charge 6 to 15 yuan an hour,

about 90 cents to 2.20 dollars.

And in busy areas,

spaces are limited,

so finding a spot can be tough.

That's why a lot of people in Beijing also own an electric scooter.

You don't have to worry about traffic jams,

you don't need to hunt for a parking spot,

and it's super cheap to run.

I usually ride mine to the nearby market for groceries and to pick up my daughter from school.

Charging it costs about 3 yuan a week, roughly 45 cents.

And ride-hailing is super convenient too.

We book rides through apps,

and the price varies depending on the type of car and the time of day.

For example,

a 5-kilometer trip from my place to my daughter's school usually costs around 15 yuan, about 2.20 dollars.

The third one is food and daily necessities.

I think this is one area where prices don't vary all that much between cities in China.

A lot of Chinese YouTubers often share grocery prices from different cities,

and they're generally pretty similar.

Today,

I went to the supermarket to give you a look at what prices are like here in Beijing.

Overall,

spending on food and household items really depends on your lifestyle.

If you cook at home more often and shop wisely,

you can keep your costs under control.

If you eat out frequently and buy new things all the time,

your expenses will naturally go up.

So that's roughly what it costs to live in a big Chinese city.

I'll also be sharing more about the cost of various things in China in my future videos.

What's it like where you are?

Let me know in the comments.

I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for watching.

If you enjoyed it, don't forget to subscribe to my channel.

See you in the next video.