Job Discussion Forums

[JZer]

Sorry, I tried to do a search but the search function is not working for me.

How much does a Chinese meal cost these days?

How much would one spend in a week if you ate Chinese food and went drinking on Saturdays?

I am interested in the cost of a meal in Hangzhou or Guangdong and how much a beer cost.

Thanks,
JZer

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

a decent restaurant meal for two costs me about 60-80 in guangdong.

i never go out drinking so cant tell you the price of beer in bars but you can buy a large bottle of tsingdao for 2.5-3 in the small shops.

[Laurence]

large tasty meal from a Chinese canteen : 15 RMB

Pint of Tiger beer in a seedy expat hangout : 20 RMB

Ingesting slop oil and formaldehyde: priceless

[JZer]

Thanks for the help.

[sojourner]

JZer,

Re the cost of meals, it all depends on the sort of establishment you prefer to dine at ! I don't live in Hangzhou (I'm 3 hours away), but in my backwater of a town in Zhejiang province, my evening meal is never more than 10 RMB.eg, last night at a food stall , I had a huge bowl of fried noodles and veggies for 5 RMB and a large beer for 2 RMB ! The night before, at another food stall, I had a large serve of barbecued veggies (potatoes,etc) and tofu for 5 RMB, a serve of dumplings for 2.5 RMB and a large beer for 2 RMB. Every few days I might "live it up" by going to a "hole in the wall" eatery and ordering french fries, a dish of sizzling beef/veggies, steamed rice and a large beer, all for about 20 RMB.You would probably get the same sort of fare in Hangzhou, not so much on the main streets but in alley ways, or just outside of the CBD; albeit, probably at slightly higher prices than what you'd pay for in my part of the world.

Also, there are a number of Western, Indian, Thai/Malaysian fusion, and Japanese restaurants in Hangzhou. A reasonable meal, with beer, MIGHT cost around 40-50 RMB.One of my favourites was an Indian place called Omar's (on Nanshan Lu) which on Saturday nights used to have an all-you-can-eat (and drink !) buffet for around 80 RMB.However, the last time I was in Hangzhou (last September) the restaurant (even the building !) was no longer there - maybe, it has moved to another part of town. I've heard that there is a reasonable Japanese buffet on Nanshan Lu called, I think, Mu Zhi Lan, near the Bernini Coffee Shop - I haven't been to it yet.

As I mentioned above, most local beer (eg "Snow") is quite cheap, if you drink at "down-market" establishments.A better quality beer is Tsingtao, which if bought at a convenience store will probably be around 5 or 6 RMB for a large bottle.Unfortunately, drinking at bars can be quite expensive.Three or four years ago, I had a (small) Tsingtao beer at the "Night 'n' Day" bar - it was either 15 or 20 RMB (can't remember which - probably about 25 RMB now !

Do a google search on "links to some local expat discussion sites - you could ask the locals, via those sites, about some of the best (and cheapest) restaurants and bars.

When will you be in China ?

Peter

[JZer]

I am planning to come to China February 2011. I just signed a one year contract to remain in Taiwan.

Can anyone tell what time language school classes for children usually take place in China?

In Taiwan it is usually 1 to 7PM.

[sojourner]

JZer,

Do you reall want to work f/t in a kids' language school - or, are you only thinking about moonlighting ? For your principal source of income, try to get a uni job in China - money may not always be crash hot, but the hours (and work stress) are quite low, and you'll probably be provided with a rent-free furnished flat (usually on campus). In Hangzhou, I think that most unis are quite some distance from the city.

I haven't moonlighted for a few years now.The last time was in a state school (between 10 - 11am). Before that p/t job, I sometimes did some work at language schools, for kids, working on Saturday mornings and afternoons. If you are offered a p/t job, say for two hours on a Saturday,ascertain beforehand when the classes will actually be - for example, you might be required to take a class between 8-8.30, another one between 1-1.30, then 4-4.30, and finally the last one between 6.30-7 - would really screw up your Saturday !

Peter

[JZer]

No, I am thinking of moonlighting.

[JZer]

[norwalkesl]

Small City Central China:

-5 RMB meal for lunch includes pot of tea, plate of fried eggplant or large bowl of stew/soup, etc. Various middle class restaurants around town.

-Big meal for two, 15 RMB

-Huge meal for 4, best place in town, 150 RMB

-Street vendors sell various foods for 1-3 RMB per meal/portion/serving

-Cigarettes start at 1 Yuan per pack and rise to 12 Quai per pack. Oddly enough the LESS tar the cigarette the MORE expensive they are.

-1 RMB for a pack of smokes! That is 15�!!!

Everyone tells me, in a rude fashion, that my prices either don't exist or are not real nor representative. So I suppose you should take my post with a grain of salt.

[danielb]

A good meal at a great Chinese restaurant, for two people, without drinks, generally sets me back around RMB300-400 in Beijing. On top of this, a bottle of semi-decent wine will be 150-400RMB and beers 25-60RMB each. I have found Guangzhou and Shanghai to be similar.

For a meal at one of the better expat restaurants such as Aria (as opposed to bars) you could expect to add around 30% to the above for the meal though the drink prices would be similar.

For a small but okay pizza and one beer at a popular expat bar, such as The Den, you are looking at around 80RMB outside happy hour.

[thefuzz]

[sojourner]

Yeah, that Norwalkesl guy is a real spendthrift ! 600 RMB per month ? - jeez ! I can live on 500 a month ! Check out my initial posting to this thread.

Peter

[JZer]

With all this in mind, how much would one save out of 10,000RMB in Hangzhou with an apartment.

Assuming eating local food and a night out of Saturday for foreign food and drinks.

[sojourner]

JZer,

Have you actually been offered 10 K per month ? What sort of job is it - a language school ? In Hangzhou, I would imagine that most uni jobs would probably not pay too much in excess of 7 K - unless, of course you were teaching over 20 hours pw, or housing was not provided.Hangzhou is a popular place for FTs - thus, the law of supply and demand would act as a dampener on higher salary levels.(One exception would, possibly, be those unis which happen to have "joint partnership" arrangements with US/UK/Aust unis, where you would be expected to work much harder than elsewhere on account of the foreign institution's degree programme requirements).

Thus, if you happen to be offered, say, a 7 K job in Hangzhou, because of the higher c.o.l, you just might be able to save 6.3 K if you happen to subsist all of the time on local fare from food stalls and holes-in-wall places. How much boozing do you expect to do during the weekends ? Thus, if you spend, say, 600, every Saturday night, it'll leave you with around 3.9 K. Not much, really - but, hopefully, you'll make up the savings shortful by moonlighting !

BTW, be wary of any (seemingly) generous uni job offer. Check the contract v.carefully - apart from the number of teaching hours,will you be given 10 monthly salary payments or 12 ? Often for the first year there are only 10 - if you stay on for another year, you might be offered 12 payments.Also, will you be provided with a rent-free flat ? An offer of, say, 10 K, could also mean no free utilities or allowance in lieu.


Peter