Study in China: How much does it cost?
Cost of studies in China
When preparing to study in China, you need to calculate how much money you will need to cover your expenses. You may also need a letter from who will pay for the program to ensure they can cover the cost of the program. The absence or late payment of the program may result in the student’s refusal from the program.
Basic costs to study in China
The main categories of expenses to study in China are:
- Application fees: ($100-150)
- Visa fees: 500 / 900 yuan
- Tuition fees (depends on the type of program)
- Books: cost within 50 yuan
- Consumables: pens: 1-5 yuan, notebooks: 10-15 yuan
- Insurance: is necessary and students cannot register without it. Students can arrange it on their own and can be issued upon arrival in China. Ping An insurance company provides students with an insurance policy that costs 600 yuan per year.
- Accommodation: it depends on whether you choose to live on campus or off-campus. For example, in Beijing, renting a single-room apartment will require about 3000-4000 yuan, and for renting a double-room apartment, 4000-6000 yuan. Dorm accommodation can be slightly cheaper. Double-room: 1000-2000 yuan, single room: 2000-3000 yuan.
- Flight tickets: it will depend on which country you are flying from. You can find cheap tickets on Skyscanner.net
- Food: it will depend on you and your habits, university food can be very affordable and can cost 6-20 yuan per meal. Food outside of the university can also be inexpensive.
- Other living expenses: sports activities, bars or restaurants.
Transport
The good news is that the cost to live and study in China is low compared to other countries. For example, the subway in Beijing costs 3 yuan – 9 yuan (depending on the distance) and beer cost the same.
Before coming to China, it is recommended to use the above categories for budget planning and expected costs. Try to add a little more to expenses than you plan for each category. It’s always better to spend less than expected than the other way. Then, when you arrive in China, try to record your spending every month to keep track of your budget spending.
We also advise you to look through the table of expenses that we have prepared for you.
Earlier we wrote an article for you – “7 Tips – How to choose a city and university to study in China?” – we recommend you to read it.
Table of expenses
You can show our table to your parents so that they can help with the budget. This will give you an approximate breakdown of costs. We’ll also give you some tips and more details on the costs.
| # | City | Tuition + expenses per year | Total expenses per year | Total expenses per month | Accomodation per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing | 13,266 $ | 9,266 $ | 772 $ | 359 $ |
| 2 | Shanghai | 13,266 $ | 9,266 $ | 772 $ | 359 $ |
| 3 | Tianjin | 10,700 $ | 7,320 $ | 610 $ | 290 $ |
| 4 | Shenzhen | 11,600 $ | 8,197 $ | 683 $ | 317 $ |
| 5 | Nanjing | 9,380 $ | 5,880 $ | 490 $ | 250 $ |
| 6 | Hangzhou | 9,600 $ | 5,880 $ | 490 $ | 250 $ |
| 7 | Other cities | 8,400 $ | 5,400 $ | 450 $ | 220 $ |
| 8 | Hong Kong | 22,500 $ | 14,256 $ | 1,188 $ | 552 $ |
If you want to know more about the full cost of studies in China, then contact our consultants. They will write out the cost according to your preferences. Also, you can leave your questions in the comments below.
