Really.

The whole “China is cheap” myth is one I believed until after about three months of living in China. Now, a small, non-scientific study comparing cost of living in Boston and Hangzhou, a small city just outside of Shanghai, illustrates my point perfectly:

While not exactly a scientific study, Wang admits, the exercise reveals that a surprising 10 [out of 19] of the food items, including green beans and bananas, were more expensive in China. In Hangzhou, a scenic coastal city near Shanghai, the price of beef brisket per 1.1 pound, or 500 grams, and the cost of a dozen eggs were both double the prices found in Boston. A liter of milk, meanwhile, was nearly triple.

Hangzhou’s premium gasoline was also 23% more expensive, and the overall price of the entire basket of goods purchased there was 8% higher.

The average per capita income in Hangzhou in 2009 was 26,864 yuan, or $4,024, according to the Hangzhou local government. Boston’s was $32,255.

In short, things are more expensive here, and we make less money. And prices aren’t going down. The consumer price index reached 5.1 percent in November, a 28-month high, and food prices surged 11.7 percent. The government is again raising gas prices, too. News reports have been heavily focused on inflation related to the soaring housing and food prices, which alternately has caused a lot of worry and little worry among consumers.

For me, I have seen my liter of milk — that’s about a quarter of a gallon — go from 11.90 RMB ($1.79) when I first came last year to 15.90 ($2.39) today. Eggs are 24.90 RMB for a 25-egg carton, or $1.88 for a dozen. Ground beef is about 20 RMB for 500 kilograms, or $3 per pound. Chicken and pork are slightly more expensive.

But there are cheaper things as well, such as carrots, onions and potatoes.