Is life in China more affordable?

Marshhawk (US)

I live in Yangzhou, a not-so modern city of about 5 million people with little to attract foreign tourists and not many expats. Surprisingly, clothes in China aren’t as cheap as you would assume. A jacket or a pair of nice boots will cost about $100 and the price of big brands such as Nike or Levi's are same as they would be in a western country. Imported foods and goods are also quite expensive. Do as the locals do and shop online, that’s where the best deals on clothes, books, foods and other random items can be found.

A shopper from Yangzhou, a city in east China's Jiangsu province, buys trays of vegetables from a vegetable vending machine.