What street food actually costs in China, item by item. Every figure below was spoken in the video it links to — nothing here is estimated. It draws on 116 videos and 388 individual figures, covering Beihai, Beijing, Bengbu, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing.
At a glance
| watermelon per pound | 4 cents per pound | China |
|---|---|---|
| coffee with coupon | 9 cents of a yuan | Guangzhou |
| sushi piece | $0.15 each | Weifang |
| bowl of tomato and egg noodles | 15 cent | China |
Food & drink
Everyday goods
What stands out
The cheapest food recorded is watermelon per pound (4 cents per pound), and the most expensive is two ribs at 15 yuan.
Data sources
Every figure on this page was stated in one of the following videos. Follow a link to hear it in context.
- Chongqing: Inside China's Real-Life Cyberpunk Megacity
- Guangzhou Night Market Food Tour: Zhicun's 160 Stalls
- Chengdu Night Market Food Tour: Fu Qin Ye Shi Street Eats
- A Food Delivery Rider's 12-Hour Day in a Small Chinese City
- Beijing Street Food Tour: 125 Authentic Flavors From Breakfast to Snacks
- Three Days in a Chinese Village with My Grandma
- Unemployed in China: A 35-Year-Old Woman's Day Alone at Della Lake
- A 5 A.M. Morning in Shenzhen: An Office Worker's Reset
- Chinese Night Market Street Food: 50 Snacks Young People Love
- Chongqing Morning Market: 50 Street Foods and Prices
- Chengdu Travel: Sichuan Food, Pandas and Top Attractions
- A Day in Chengdu: Street Food and Tea House Life
- A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
- A Chinese Teacher's Day: Classes, Cooking and Family Time
- A Day in the Life of a Low-Income Chinese Boy in Southern China
- A Quiet Day in Zhangjia Village, Rural Northern China
- A Work Day in a Small Chinese Town on 2,000 RMB a Month
- A Day in the Life of a Delivery Rider in Guangzhou, China
- A Day in a Small Chinese City: Work, Kids, and Fishing Boats
- Bengbu Breakfast and Night Market Food in Anhui, China
- Beijing Travel Guide: Costs, Best Times, and Things to Do
- Breakfast in a Rural Hebei Village: Everyday Life and Local Eats
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- A Family of Four's $20 Day in a Small Chinese Town
- Haggling for Watches and Bags in Shenzhen's Fake Markets
- Inside Shenzhen's Futuristic Huawei Store: Cars, Phones, Robots
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- Chinese Street Food: Order in Mandarin at a Night Market
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- China's North-South Divide: Climate, Homes, and Food
- Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
- A Day in the Life of an Office Worker in Shenzhen, China
- Inside a Chinese Elementary School: A Fifth Grader's Day
- Guiyang Street Food Tour: Minsheng Road Snacks and Prices
- Solo BBQ in Guangzhou: A $20 Personal Grill Experience
- Chongqing: Inside China's 36 Million Person City
- Tianjin Night Market Street Food: Tofu, Noodles and Grilled Oysters
- Lanzhou Morning Market: Beef Noodles and Fresh Food
- Beijing's Shahe Market: Traditional Northern Chinese Street Food
- Shenzhen: Inside China's Most Futuristic City in 4 Days
- Weichuan Grand Market in Henan: Local Delicacies and Tofu
- Chinese YouTuber Fact-Checks Viral Videos About Life in China
- Guangzhou Night Market Food Tour: $1 Street Food Paradise in 4K
- Guangzhou Wholesale Clothing Markets: Affordable Fashion Finds
- Kunming's Puji Market: Yunnan Street Food and 5 Yuan Haircuts
- Low-Income Life in Guangzhou: A Chinese Couple's Evening Walk
- Guangzhou's Mega Pet and Fish Market: Inside the Wholesale Trade
- How Introverts and Extroverts Survive Daily Life in China
- High-Altitude Watermelon Farming in Rural China
- Shenzhen: Inside China's Futuristic City of Robots and EVs
- Returning to My Rural Chinese Village with My Son
- Guangzhou Street Food After Dark: Cheap Local Eats
- Xi'an Street Food Tour: Bao, Biang Biang Noodles, and More
- Xi'an Morning Market: Northern Chinese Breakfast and Street Food
- Inside a $30 a Month Rental Room in Pengzhou, China
- Kashgar Food Market Tour: Roast Lamb and Xinjiang Street Eats
- Daily Life in a Northern Chinese Third-Tier City
- Inside Hong Kong's Coffin Homes and Cage Apartments
- What It Really Costs to Live in China: A Day of Spending