I thought it would be interesting to give a real world sort of approach to budgeting in a new city. I’ve been keeping track of every yuan spent in Beijing (more or less) since June 1st and I was going to announce my grand total at the end of the month. Problem is, I won’t be in Beijing at the end of the month. I’ve got to go down to Hong Kong tomorrow morning to get a new visa and I probably won’t be back until late July.

So instead of my 30 days worth of spending, I’ve only got 23 days. I was kind of getting sick of keeping track anyways but I still thing that’s enough time to give a good idea of costs. Rather than give a day by day account, I’ve broken my spending up into categories.

Costs for 23 days living in Beijing:

• Rent - 1664 yuan - 2200 per full month
• Internet - 91 - 120 per full month
• Gym - 378 - 500 per full month
• House Stuff - 249 - I had to buy a new mop and replace some seriously nasty looking cleaning supplies that seemed like they hadn’t been changed in ages. The cleaner costs 30 a time and my housemate and I alternate paying her. She comes twice a week but we’re not always in so the cost will vary month to month.
• Phone Cards - 100 - Cards seem to last ages for local calls, even to other mobile phones. But they go fast when you make international calls so hope on Skype instead.
• Transportation - 575 - This is for taxis 99% of the time. I took the subway three times at 2 RMB each trip and zipped around in cabs the rest of the time. Taking a taxi to the gym adds up and also defeats the purpose of going to the gym, but the walk is a bit too far and is along a dirty, smelly highway.
• Food - 591 - I stocked up on supplies for making stir fries and salads so was eating fresh veggies and meat. Groceries are really cheap and cooking for yourself is a great way to save money while experimenting with some funky looking foods.
• Takaway - 260 - When hangovers surface, my housemate and I tend to watch DVDs and order Italian takeaway from a place called Annie’s. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s tasty and, more importantly, it’s easy.
• Frappucinnos - 199 - I need to give these a category of their own because I get them so often. How can I resist the new dark mocha flavour? It’s not possible. I am weak.
• Eating/Drinking Out - 791 - I went out for dinner about four times to Western type places in Wudaukou, Lido and Sanlitun. I also went out drinking a few times at a German bar, a reggae place, and some places in Lido and Sanlitun.
• Entertainment - 150 - I had a shamefully quiet month in June and the only thing I did for entertainment was buy the boxed set of Arrested Development and watch all three seasons. That’s embarrassing.
• Visa Extension - 160 - This has to be done once a month. You can get a maximum of two extensions on a tourist (L) visa.

So my grand total for spending for 23 days in June is 5208 yuan or about 226 per day. That works out to be around US$32 per day. But June has been a bit of a hermit month for me. If you plan on heading out drinking several nights a week, doing lots of touristy stuff or eating out instead of cookng for yourself, your daily budget will probably be closer to $50. But you’ll have a hell of a fun time for that amount!

I’m amazed at how little I’ve spent considering I haven’t thought about money once since I got here. If I want to do something, I just do it (including copious amounts of taxi rides and frappuccinos). The budget is out the window but I’ve still managed to come in well below $50 a day which is around what I’ve earning these days and as long I’m earning more than I’m spending, I’ve got no complaints!

It’s probably worth noting that I could have done things a lot cheaper too. Sharing an apartment with more people, living further out or in a less modern building, not having a gym membership, taking the subway instead of taxis, not ordering takeaway, drinking less and cutting out my beloved frappuccinos could all have a substantial impact on the amount I spend.

Hope this helps! I will probably do summaries like these for each new city I live in. I find it pretty interesting and also a good way to cut back on spending if I need to save some money.

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