Most of China is an agricultural and crop farming society. I have personally seen vegetables being grown in cracks on walls, in abandoned plots and wherever soil is exposed. So things that require open fields and pastures are expensive. Meat and cheese require grazing land, land that is priceless in this country. Most of the people are lacose intolerant as well, due to genetics. So don't expect burgers/sandwiches/wraps......This is not the country or culture where small amounts of starch enclosing large amounts of meat would develop, unless you live in Nei Mongu or Xinjiang.

Don't eat doufu or any other Soy bean products. I know that the studies are inconclusive but do you really want to gamble with your testosterone levels, your libido and your masculinity? Ladies go wild with the doufu there're no alleged problems except for positive effects.

If you want to save as much money as possible, cook peanuts and broadbeans with rice at home. Every few weeks eat polony and sardines to get your necessary intake of vitamin B12.

If you can't handle this and really need to eat your native food, there're western style malls and import shops with real bread. I don't like Chinese style white bread, it's definitley got sugar in it and it's as soft as cake. Don't bother with Chinese bakeries/patissieres as they use margarine and fake cream, unless you find a foreign owned store.

There's wraps/roti's/naan in central and north China, a godsend for people from the commonwealth who want food that's similar to their native late night fare. No equivalents to doner kebab tho, unless you are in Beijing/Shanghai city centre and at a specialist foreign restaurant. Native Chinese naan bread/sour cream is as cheap as dirt, even as far south as Guangzhou, but imported goods are expensive.

Xinjiang lamb kebabs and Hui Muslim noodles are great if you've been drinking, in my opinion.

Don't eat all your meals at Subway/Macdonalds/KFC/Pizza Hut. It's not healthy and really if you miss it that much just go home. You're in China, you should try some scorpion on a stick at least once and your staple diet should consist of local ingredients.

Also, never trust advice or rants from strangers on the internet.