On the cost of living in China

Merry Christmas all.

It's the damndest thing. I went to Shanghai a couple of months ago for a short visit, and just never got back into the swing of posting.

I'm not sure what this represents. An igloo with a lamb inside? With Christmas presents?

Today, I thought I would cover some details about the cost of living in China. I took the above picture of the lamb today just outside a local shopping mall, where I often buy groceries.

Here's today's haul.

Some pumpkin, broccoli, bananas, three oranges, three apples, and a Peking duck kit. Total cost is between $5 and $6 (all prices US). The biggest price hit was for the Peking duck, but you have to splurge once in awhile.

It is cheap to cook your own, but on the other hand, you can go out and buy a bowl of dumplings in soup for about a buck. Most times when I go out to eat, I'll pay about $3. If you need an emergency snack, you can buy five fried quail eggs on a stick in a sweet chili sauce for 30 cents. for a real treat, they have this type of candied fruit which is similar to an apple, which you can get candied and stuffed with walnuts for about 65 cents. I was racking my brains trying to think of something I could buy in Canada in this price range, but unless there are still candy machines that take quarters, you are probably SOL. 

Good local meals cost between $5 and $10, and of course you can buy a good western type of meal for roughly the same price as at home.

I currently make about $3000 per month, which is after taxes, and my apartment is taken care of, meaning my primary expenses are food and alcohol (actually, just alcohol). Last year I paid $2/month for my cellphone plan, but it was a rudimentary cellphone. This year I moved up to a smart phone, and am scandalized that I have to pay about $20 every couple of months. Admittedly, I don't use a lot of bandwidth, as I only use WeChat to communicate with people at work.

Short taxi rides cost about $1.50, and the bus costs about 12 cents. I think there is a way to obtain transfers, but if I ever need to switch to another bus, I have just been paying the extra 12 cents.