生活费

• Pinyin: shēng huó fèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 生 = to live; 活 = alive; 费 = expense — living expenses

Meaning

Living expenses; cost of living; allowance. Money spent on or needed for daily life necessities.

Covers expenses for food, housing, transportation, and other daily needs. Often discussed in contexts of student allowances, family budgets, and cost of living comparisons. Students commonly receive 生活费 from parents for monthly expenses.

Examples

1. 大城市的生活费比小城市高很多。 Living expenses in big cities are much higher than in small cities.
2. 父母每月给她两千块生活费。 Her parents give her 2,000 yuan per month for living expenses.
3. 他刚工作，工资基本只够生活费。 He just started working, and his salary barely covers living expenses.

Usage Guide

Context: budget, family, student life

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 生活费不够花。(The living allowance isn't enough.)
• 这里生活费很低。(The cost of living here is very low.)

Don't Say

• 不要把'生活费'和'学费'混用 (Don't confuse 生活费 with 学费 — 生活费 is for living; 学费 is tuition)

Origin & History

Compound of 生活 (life, living) + 费 (expense, fee). Literally 'living expenses.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal