Cost of Living in Dalian, 🇨🇳 China - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $797 $551 $942 $319 $65

Utilities — $72 $130 $51 —

Internet & Mobile $36 $22 $43 $14 $3

Groceries $87 $319 $652 $174 $6

Transportation $87 $72 $174 $29 $12

Dining Out $551 $362 $580 $116 $51

Leisure Activities $217 $174 $362 $58 $22

Health Insurance $80 $116 $319 $41 —

Visa & Legal Fees $58 $22 $87 — —

Total $1,913 $1,710 $3,289 $802 $159

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $405.84 per month

Coworking Space $159.44 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $942.14 per month

Coliving Space $550.79 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $4.06 per cup

Beer $2.17 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $4.35 per meal

Fast Food Combo $6.09 per meal

Apples $1.88 per kg

Bread $2.17 per loaf

Milk $2.32 per liter

Rice $1.23 per kg

Chicken Fillets $4.64 per kg

Beef $12.76 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $14.49 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $37.69 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.65 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $1.45 per trip

Taxi per km $0.32 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $17.39 per month

Gasoline $1.22 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $2.61 per trip

Scooter Rental $5.80 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $12.76 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $13.05 per month

Gym Membership $50.73 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $17.39 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $14.49 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $7.25 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $65.23 per pair

Summer Dress $40.58 per dress

Running Shoes $86.97 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $9.42 per visit

Laundry $2.17 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $36.24 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $5.07 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 6.8992 CNY

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Dalian cost of living