Pricele #116: Electricity (100 kWh) in China 🇨🇳
The puzzle for 24 October 2026 asked what 100 kWh of electricity costs in China. Here is the answer and the context behind it.
The answer
Electricity (100 kWh) · China
$7.90
53.2 CNY
About 86 minutes of the average local wage buys 100 kWh of electricity.
Cheaper than 83% of the 60 countries in the game.
Source: GlobalPetrolPrices.com, December 2025.
About electricity (100 kWh)
A hundred kilowatt-hours is roughly what a small flat draws in a month, and what it costs ranges from under a dollar-fifty a week to the price of a restaurant meal. Almost none of that spread is the cost of generating the power. It is network charges, carbon and energy taxes, and in several countries a subsidy that holds the household tariff below what the grid actually spends.
Where China sits
Of the 60 countries priced for electricity (100 kWh), China ranks #50 from the top at $7.90, 61% below the median of $20.20.
Chinese prices vary enormously between tier-one cities and smaller ones, so a single national figure hides a wide spread. Imported and branded goods carry a premium; domestically produced staples are among the cheapest in the game. VAT is banded rather than flat, at 13%, 9% or 6% depending on category, with food and agricultural products at 9%, which means the tax wedge itself differs between two items in the same basket. Read the Chinese column as an urban average with a wide error bar around it, not as a price any particular shopper pays.
| Nearby on the electricity (100 kWh) table | USD | Local | Work time |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | $7.10678 INR | 678 INR | 2.8 h |
| Vietnam | $7.80205,000 VND | 205,000 VND | 2.8 h |
| China | $7.9053.2 CNY | 53.2 CNY | 86 min |
| Sri Lanka | $7.902,625.7 LKR | 2,625.7 LKR | 8.6 h |
| United Arab Emirates | $8.0029.3 AED | 29.3 AED | 32 min |
What else costs what in China
| Item | USD | Local | Work time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Mac | $3.6625.5 CNY | 25.5 CNY | 40 min |
| Coca-Cola (330ml can) | $0.483.5 CNY | 3.5 CNY | 5 min |
| Cappuccino | $2.9620.04 CNY | 20.04 CNY | 32 min |
| Milk (1 litre) | $1.7912.12 CNY | 12.12 CNY | 20 min |
| Eggs (dozen) | $1.5810.69 CNY | 10.69 CNY | 17 min |
| Apples (1 kg) | $1.8312.39 CNY | 12.39 CNY | 20 min |
| Gasoline (1 litre) | $1.248.39 CNY | 8.39 CNY | 14 min |
| Diesel (1 litre) | $1.107.44 CNY | 7.44 CNY | 12 min |
| Natural gas (100 kWh) | $5.1034.7 CNY | 34.7 CNY | 56 min |
| Cigarettes (20-pack) | $2.4917.99 CNY | 17.99 CNY | 27 min |
| Beer (330ml) | $0.543.89 CNY | 3.89 CNY | 6 min |
| Spirits (750ml bottle) | $3.3224 CNY | 24 CNY | 36 min |
| Mobile data (1 GB) | $0.38 | — | 4 min |
| A day's healthy diet | $1.7512.6 CNY | 12.6 CNY | 19 min |
Go deeper
See the full table for electricity (100 kWh) in every country or everything priced in China.