Living costs in second-tier Chinese cities are climbing despite Beijing and Shanghai seeing expenses fall, a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit showed.

Hong Kong, scoring 113 to surpass New York, remains top with the highest overheads in China, and taking ninth place in the world.

The report contains a full ranking of 131cities - all compared to New York - which has an index set at 100. More than 400 individual prices are collected, including food, drink, clothing, home rents and recreational costs.

No 9 Tianjin

Index of living costs: 76

Rank in the world: 69

The five-star Pan Pacific Hotel alongside the Haihe River in Tianjin. [Photo provided to China Daily]