The bus and subway rides may have gotten cheaper, but the overall cost of living in the Chinese capital has soared to new astronomical heights. A recent ECA International report has it that living in Beijing or Shanghai is pretty much just as expensive as living in Hong Kong or Taipei. The reason behind this: the rising Renminbi.

Beijing is the 7th most expensive city in Asia, with Hong Kong at 5 and Taipei at 6. Shanghai is behind Beijing, but not too far: the cost of living has, after all, soared more than just a bit. The index is calculated from a basket of 128 products and services that people use on a daily basis.

Good news: If someone is paying you to stay in one of those super-expensive metropolises (like our capital), you'll be getting more compensation -- to keep up with the rising costs!