Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inDalian, Liaoning, China
Liaoning, China7.5MUpper middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Albitskiy R.V aka pauk
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 2.05x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). China: $25,067/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 69% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Overall
3.3x further
Prices are 69% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
11x further
Prices are 91% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.8x further
Prices are 64% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
4.7x further
Prices are 79% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Upper Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$25,067
PPP, International $
City Population
7.5M
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes China as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Dalian, Liaoning.
Quality
Good public schools
Expat access
Legally possible, hard in practice
hardInstruction
Mandarin
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
China's public system is academically strong, but the standard local-school path is not designed around short-horizon expat families.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident enrollment is sometimes possible, but hukou or local assignment practices and Mandarin-medium instruction make the public route hard in practice.
🚫 Homeschooling
Homeschooling not legalChina's Compulsory Education Law requires all children to attend school. Homeschooling is illegal and the law is enforced. Some underground homeschooling communities exist but face legal risk.
Homeschool legality in China — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
2 more suggested by AI, not verified
Typical fee
$35,210/yr
one school's published fee
- American1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Dalian, Liaoning, China.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$625-$875
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$1,150-$1,550
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Dalian: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 70/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
70/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
International airport
Dalian Zhoushuizi gives the city strong domestic coverage and practical regional international access for northeast China.
Urban transit
Metro, tram, and bus
metrotrambus
Dalian combines metro and tram corridors with buses, making many practical central districts workable without a car.
Rideshare
Taxi and app-hailed rides
Taxi-hailing and app-booked rides are an easy complement for airport runs and lower-frequency trips beyond the main rail corridors.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in China.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
30 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, strong doctor availability, and solid hospital-bed capacity support this rating.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong support this rating.
Private care
LimitedSelf-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
85/100
2023
Physicians
3.11/1k
2022
Hospital beds
5.63/1k
2023
Out of pocket
32%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
78.0 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
16/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
2.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedThere is visible specialty depth and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Hospital: 28Clinic: 1Pharmacy: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in China yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
大连凌水地区医院
Hospital · Emergency
大连口腔医院
Hospital · Emergency
东财 Health Clinic
Hospital · Emergency
大连市中心医院
Hospital · Emergency
友谊医院
Hospital · Emergency
大连医科大学第一附属医院二部
Hospital · Emergency
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
City-level perceived-crime data is not sourced for Dalian, Liaoning yet. Showing China national safety and governance signals until a matched city row lands.
Street Safety
Safety Index49/100
Crime Index51/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.30
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2022 annual wages in Dalian, Liaoning, China · Source: NBS (province-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
big mac
$3.97Estimated36% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.62Estimated52% cheaper
budget hotel
$177.21Survey-verified388% more
childcare preschool
$717.20Estimated54% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.02Estimated58% cheaper
gasoline liter
$1.22Estimated18% more
inexpensive meal
$5.41Estimated74% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$17.50Estimated74% cheaper
iphone
$1099.00Estimated10% more
luxury hotel
$177.21Survey-verified63% cheaper
milk liter
$1.93Estimated58% more
monthly pass
$28.16Estimated59% cheaper
rent 1br
$565.48Estimated69% cheaper
rent 3br
$1198.63Estimated62% cheaper
taxi km
$0.32Estimated83% cheaper
utilities basic
$82.15Estimated62% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
evisa
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Dalian compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.0x further in Dalian than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Dalian cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Dalian is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 69% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Dalian. We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Dalian compare with New York City?
Rent in Dalian is about 91% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Dalian?
Groceries in Dalian are about 64% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 79% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Dalian, Liaoning
Dalian is a port city on the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula in northeast China, historically a Russian and Japanese concession and today one of the country's main shipping, software outsourcing, and Japanese-language business hubs. It is meaningfully cooler in summer than most of eastern China thanks to its coastal exposure, which makes it a popular domestic summer destination. For relocators the practical pull is a more temperate climate than Beijing or Shanghai, a notable Japanese expatriate community tied to outsourcing firms, and lower housing costs than tier-one cities. Winters are long and cold, the metro is still expanding, and the broader job market for non-Mandarin speakers is concentrated in a few sectors.
Temperate climate with 4 distinct seasons; mild summers, cold winters with occasional snowExcellent fiber internet (100+ Mbps common), reliable for remote workGrowing but modest expat community (~20,000); less transient than ShanghaiHighly walkable downtown; good metro system and affordable taxis/ride-hailingExceptional seafood and dumpling culture; diverse international dining availableDeveloping nightlife scene; quieter than major cities but growing bars and clubsSeveral quality coworking spaces; traditional cafes suitable for laptop workVery safe; low crime rates and friendly atmosphere toward foreigners
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