Markets, fruit and vegetables: fresh, varied, and cheap

✅ Updated Jun 2026

Eating well in China is easy and inexpensive. Neighborhood wet markets (菜市场) and fruit shops are everywhere, restocked daily with a huge variety of vegetables and seasonal fruit — leafy greens, dozens of mushrooms, tofu in many forms, and fruit from lychee, mango, and dragon fruit to pomelo, persimmon, and hami melon — usually at a fraction of Western prices. Supermarkets and delivery apps (Meituan, Hema/Freshippo, Dingdong) bring fresh produce to your door in under an hour. Buy what is in season for the best price and flavor; at a market you can point or use a translation app, and the stall will weigh and total everything on a scale. Cooking at home is cheap — but with street food and restaurants this affordable, so is eating out.