🇨🇳 China · A realistic 2026 budget for newcomers — rent, food, transport, and what a month actually costs.
Wondering how far your salary goes in Nanjing? Here’s what everyday life costs, in local prices — the numbers that matter when you’re deciding to move or negotiating a package.
What things cost
One-bed flat, Xinjiekou or Gulou (central)CNY 2,800–5,000 / month
One-bed flat, Hexi New Town, Xianlin or JiangningCNY 2,000–3,800 / month
Utilities, mobile and broadband, one personCNY 350–700 / month
Groceries and eating locally, one personCNY 1,600–2,600 / month
Metro and bus travel, daily commutingCNY 120–230 / month, distance-based
Good to know
Population
≈9.5 million in the municipality — capital of Jiangsu province and a former capital of China several times over
Languages
Mandarin, with a distinctive Jianghuai Nanjing dialect. English is common around the universities and scarce elsewhere
Currency
Renminbi / Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥)
Time zone
CST (GMT+8). No daylight saving
Power plug
Types A, C and I, 220 V / 50 Hz
Climate
Humid subtropical and traditionally counted among China's 'furnace' cities — very hot humid summers, a plum-rain June, and damp near-freezing winters with no central heating
Shanghai
A little over an hour to Shanghai Hongqiao by high-speed train, with departures every few minutes
The city wall
The Ming wall is the longest surviving city wall in the world, and long stretches are open to walk along the top
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.
A note on budgeting
Rent is usually the swing factor — location and whether bills are included move the number most. Build your estimate from the rent band above, add a monthly living figure, and keep a buffer for one-off setup costs (deposits, a residence permit, a local SIM, first-month transport). Globe Quest turns this into a personalized Nanjing checklist so nothing setup-related catches you off guard.
Plan your move to Nanjing
A free, AI-personalized plan — the language, culture, and setup steps timed to your move date.