The official currency of China is the renminbi or RMB. The primary unit of RMB is the yuan and the terms are used interchangeably. In addition, CNY sometimes appears on price tags instead of either of the other two terms. It simply means Chinese yuan.

The value of the yuan fluctuates, of course. This morning 6.16 yuan equal one Canadian dollar which seems to be about average in recent weeks. To make calculating easier, we tend to divide prices by 6 to get an idea how much things would cost in Canadian dollars. It’s not exact but it gives us a ballpark figure and is much easier to figure out in our heads. I’ll use 6.16 (and a calculator!) for the prices I post here.

Let’s begin with our recent trip to Dandong and the Great Wall:

• 4.5 hour bus trip from Dalian to Dandong – $31.82 per person return
• budget hotel room with private bathroom – $21.10 per night including a sumptuous buffet breakfast for 2 – we couldn’t help joking that it was like buying breakfast and having a hotel room thrown in for free!
• 12 km bus ride to the Great Wall – $0.97 per person
• entrance to the Great Wall – $9.74 per person
• taxi back to Dandong, shared by 4 people – $6.49

Obviously, for those of us who are blessed to have Canadian or American dollars in our pockets, travel in China is very inexpensive. I’m looking ahead to our upcoming Labor Day holiday at the end of this month and have learned that a return flight to the city of Yantai (one hour each way) would cost less than $140 per person including all taxes and fees.

But what about everyday living? Riding a city bus in Dalian costs 1 yuan, or approximately 16 cents and here are a few prices from our local supermarket:

• 8 x 100 grams of yogurt – $2.09
• 50 green tea bags – $2.09
• 400 grams of noodles – $0.75
• 8 large slices of hearty bread – $1.27
• 500 mL bottle of soya sauce – $1.70
• 500 grams of honey – $3.41
• 2 L jug of apple juice – $4.22 ($3.86 if you buy two)
• 330 mL can of Coke – $0.41
• 600 mL bottle of Coke – $0.49
• 55 gram Snickers bar – $0.57
• 10 rolls of 3 ply toilet paper – $4.14

We buy most of our fresh food at the street market. Here’s why:

• 9 large farm fresh eggs – $0.81
• 6 bananas from the Philippines – $1.20
• 1 medium zucchini – $0.31
• 1 large head of broccoli – $1.54
• 2 delicious cobs of fresh corn – $1.14
• 1 kg of white rice – $0.97
• 540 kg (1.2 lb) of pork – $2.44

Buying water is not an option here as the tap water isn’t safe to drink. Bottled water is available everywhere. We have a dispenser in the kitchen and have an 18.9 L jug delivered to our door (at the top of 67 stairs) for $1.95 whenever we need one. At the supermarket, a 550 mL bottle sells for $0.13 and a 1.5 L bottle for $0.37.

Coffee, on the other hand, is quite expensive. A 200 gram bottle of Nescafe instant sells for $13.23 at the supermarket. A small cup of regular coffee can be had at KFC for under a dollar but the prices are significantly higher and vary quite considerably at western style coffee shops where you’re also paying for the ambiance. We’ve paid from $1.62 to $5.29 for Richard’s large Americano coffees and from $2.92 to $5.36 for my mochas.

We bought a basic cell phone for around $60 and we’re paying approximately $50 for internet service for the entire semester that we’ll be here. When I’m tempted to complain about how slow and unpredictable it is, I remind myself of that!

On Monday, I went for my first haircut in China. I had no idea what to expect in terms of cost. My hair was shampooed, cut by the lead stylist, washed again to get rid of all the bits of hair, then blown dry all for a grand total of $3.25 Canadian! I could have had it done by one of the other stylists for just $2.44 but at prices like that, I decided to splurge and I’m super happy with the results!

The thing to keep in mind when we marvel at prices like these ones is that we’re thinking in terms of Canadian incomes. It’s difficult to find accurate information about Chinese incomes but we understand that, at 5000 yuan (just over $800) each per month, we’re being paid very well compared to many professional people in China. When Richard picked up our paycheques this morning, he discovered that we each had to pay 6 yuan (less than $1) in tax! On top of that, we’re living in a rent free apartment. The majority of Chinese, especially those living outside the cities, are very poor and cannot imagine the luxuries that we take for granted.