How much money should I bring?

[optical]

I know this is a wierd question, but here is the cirumstance

My length of stay is 6 months

My room has already been prepaid, including utilities (I've measured these and they are well within what I would use)

Location is not a super-city, but a regular city

What I do need to pay for:

Transit/Travel (i.e. bus, train, taxi, etc) - I'm living on campus so this should be limited.

Food (I don't have a kitchen, so I have to eat at on campus facility or restaurant, etc)

Misc Expenses

Would anyone be able to give me a rough estimate of how much RMB I should bring with me to support myself during this time frame? A +/- 30% ball park would be fine.

Thank you!

[Xiao Kui]

It might help to tell us the city or which general region of China you plan to be in. For example prices can vary significantly between eastern and western China - in my city Kunming if your rent and utilities are already covered you could live comfortably with a budget of $200-300 per month to cover the rest, depending on whether you plan to principally eat Chinese or western. You could probably get by on less, but I'm talking the comfortable, no worries range.

But if you are in even a small city in a province back east such as Guangdong, you may need to budget a little higher. But I think $300 a month should be enough for almost anywhere. (Most of my experience in easter China has been in the huge metropolises: GZ, BJ, Haerbin, so I'm not sure abt prices in the small cities, but my instinct tells me it cost a little more than a small city in the west.)

[mr.stinky]

some more detail about your intended lifestyle would also help.

do you plan to spend your time exclusively studying? or do you want to party every night?

expect to do any sightseeing outside of the city you'll be staying?

is your apartment fully furnished?

and don't forget the souvenir budget.

[Ari 桑]

Details are needed. Take your transportation cost for example. Taxis start at 10-11 kuai in Beijing, but in more rural areas might be only 1 or 2 kuai a ride. And if the city has a subway or good bus system, you could save tons. Buses in Beijing cost 3-6 mao per ride. Lifestyle matters.

[anonymoose]

Buses in Beijing cost 3-6 mao per ride.

When? In the 1980s?

[adrianlondon]

I think buses are 2 mao a journey if you have a student bus-card and 4 mao otherwise (you need an IC card).

[Lu]

When I was in BJ (2002-3) bus rides where either 1 or 2 kuai, not mao. That was without student or IC card, but does it matter that much?

optical: Do you mean you are planning to bring this money physically, in cash or checks? That's not really necessary, it's usually possible to get money from your foreign account (American, European, whatever) out of the local ATM. Ask your bank about this if in doubt.

Food is about 10-20 kuai a meal, cheaper in school cafetarias but more expensive in western restaurants; transport depends on how you go and how often, on campus it would probably be zero, unless you buy a bike, in which case you have to pay for the bike, obviously. When I was studying in BJ, I spent the most when I went sightseeing (or clubbing), what with transport and entrance tickets and the occasional souvenir you easily spend 100 kuai in half a day.

[adrianlondon]

When I was in BJ (2002-3) bus rides where either 1 or 2 kuai, not mao.

2002-3 isn't 2006-7 ;)

They're trying to move everyone off cash fares onto IC cards and the price has dropped dramatically. Also, the 2y cash fare has gone. All cash tickets are 1y.

[optical]

Now that I've been here for a few days, I found that I can get all of my food from the school cafeteria for anywhere from 1.50 - 4.00 RMB per meal, so at the most 12 RMB per day. All my utilities were already covered in my initial dorm payment. So absolutely hypothetically speaking if I didn't have to pay anything else (obviously not likely, but this is hypothetical) It would only cost me 300 RMB per month (Not 300 USD!!)

[yonglin]

300 RMB per month (Not 300 USD!!)

Fair enough, unless you realise you actually want to go and visit some place with a 100 kuai entrance tickets and they look at your pale face and say that the student tickets are for Chinese students only.

You might also want to make some allowance for personal hygiene including tissues and toilet paper. And by the way, if you're used to eating a quite varied fare you will need quite a strong will or a very economical mind to have all your meals in the school cafeteria....