Study in Chongqing — Universities, Costs & Living

2Universities we cover

CNY 1,300–2,400Living cost per month

CNY 450–1,100University dormitory

#3Cheapest of 18 cities

Positioning

Why students end up in Chongqing

Chongqing Medical University is the reason this city appears on the list. It runs a clinical medicine programme taught in English for international students, with a large affiliated hospital system behind it — a combination that is less common than the brochures suggest. For a student targeting medicine and needing an English-language route, it is a realistic option rather than a fallback.

The city itself is unlike anywhere else in China: built across steep terrain, with a light rail system that runs through buildings, and a cost base among the lowest of any major city. It is also a manufacturing centre — automotive and electronics — with a population larger than most countries.

Where the city is genuinely strong

Clinical medicine taught in English, with a large teaching-hospital network attached
Automotive engineering, with Changan and a dense supplier base
Electronics and laptop manufacturing, which produces a substantial share of the world's output
Architecture and mountain-city planning, a specialism the terrain makes unavoidable

Cost

What a month costs in Chongqing

One student, CNY. The total assumes university accommodation; the private-rent line is there because it is the number that changes the answer.

Item	CNY per month	Notes
University dormitory	450–1,100	Shared room, usually 2–4 students, utilities included
Private rent, one bedroom	1,100–2,400	Off campus, excluding utilities and deposit
Food	750–1,400	Canteen meals plus occasional eating out
Transport and other	300–500	Metro, phone, laundry, incidentals
Realistic monthly total	1,300–2,400	CNY per month, one student

Indicative ranges. Dormitory prices are set by the university and vary by room type; ask the international office for the current rate before you budget.

Comparison

How Chongqing compares

The same table for the cities students most often weigh against it.

City	Dormitory	Private rent	Food	Monthly total
Chongqing	450–1,100	1,100–2,400	750–1,400	1,300–2,400
Chengdu	500–1,200	1,300–2,600	800–1,500	1,500–2,600
Xi'an	500–1,100	1,200–2,500	750–1,400	1,400–2,500
Wuhan	500–1,200	1,300–2,600	800–1,500	1,500–2,700

All figures CNY per month for one student.

Universities

What you can study in Chongqing

2 institutions we cover, 1 of which can nominate scholarship students directly.

🏛

Chongqing Medical University

Chongqing · est. 1956 · Municipal key · medical specialist

One of the earliest English-taught MBBS providers in western China, with lower living costs.

Tuition: CNY 18,000–28,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught MBBS · HSK 5 for Chinese-taught

Full profile →

🏛

Chongqing University

Chongqing · est. 1929 · Project 985 · 211 · Double First-Class

Electrical, mechanical and civil engineering plus architecture, in China's south-western industrial hub.

Tuition: CNY 20,000–33,000 / yr
Chinese: None for English-taught · HSK 4–5 for Chinese-taught
CSC host: yes — Type B

Full profile →

After graduation

Work and industry

Automotive manufacturing, electronics assembly and pharmaceuticals. Salaries are low by coastal standards, and international graduates rarely stay for work; the city's value is the degree and the cost of getting it.

Internships are not automatic. Work while studying requires university approval and immigration reporting, and the permitted hours are limited. Arrange placements through the university rather than informally.

Work permits & the graduate market →

Living

Climate, and getting there

Season	Typical range	What to expect
Spring (Mar–May)	14–26°C	Warm, humid and cloudy.
Summer (Jun–Aug)	30–40°C	The most extreme summer heat in the country, with very high humidity.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)	17–27°C	Cooling slowly, frequently overcast.
Winter (Dec–Feb)	6–12°C	Mild but damp, with fog and very little sun.

Transport

Jiangbei airport has direct international routes across Asia and to Europe. Chongqing North runs to Chengdu in about 90 minutes and to Shanghai in eleven hours. The metro and monorail network is extensive, but the terrain means journeys involve stairs and long transfers.

Before you commit

The part brochures leave out

The summer is punishing — 40°C is not unusual — and the terrain makes walking impractical, so transport costs are higher than in flat cities. English is limited. Verify the clinical programme's accreditation path with your own medical council before enrolling.

Nearby

Worth comparing before you decide

🏙

Chengdu

West · 2 universities
CNY 1,500–2,600 per month

Read the city profile →

🏙

Xi'an

West · 2 universities
CNY 1,400–2,500 per month

Read the city profile →

🏙

Wuhan

Central · 2 universities
CNY 1,500–2,700 per month

Read the city profile →

FAQ

Questions specific to Chongqing

It is a Chinese medical degree, and recognition depends entirely on your home country's medical council. Some require licensing exams and supervised practice before you can work. Check that list before applying — it is the single most important due-diligence step for this programme.

1,300–2,400 CNY per month, the second-lowest of the cities we cover after Harbin. Rent and food are both cheap, though transport costs more because of the terrain.

It is one of the two hottest cities in China alongside Wuhan, regularly reaching 38–40°C with high humidity. If you cannot tolerate that, consider Chengdu, which is noticeably milder.

Want a budget for Chongqing?

Send us your subject, level and intended intake. We will come back with the universities that fit and a monthly budget that includes the costs students usually forget.

Ask us Compare universities