Yeah... The cost of living is pretty subjective and depends on how much you're making and what you do.
If you want to have a 'Western lifestyle' (i.e. eating hamburgers, fast internet, take a taxi everywhere, buy lots of imported food) your COL will be similar to what it is back home. I know people who spend 600 - 1000RMB on food a month, but they buy lots of imported foods. I barely spend half that. But that's because I go to local noodle shops where a big bowl of noodles is 10RMB compared to eating at a western place where a meal can coast 50RMB easily without drinks or appetizers.
Same thing happens with places to go out to. Some bars are more expensive than others. Clubs are notoriously expensive and often have fake alcohol. Qingdao and other Chinese Beers are going to be cheaper (although have lower alcohol content) than imported beers. Same thing with liquor. You can get Chinese liquor for cheap. However, it tastes disgusting (to many foreigners at least) although it'll get you messed up pretty fast.
With utilities, the most expensive is electricity. But again, it depends on what you're use too. Many foreigners leave the A/C on since we're so accustomed to climate control, something that isn't very common in China. If you don't mind the heat, you can save a lot of money. I know people who spend 150-200RMB/Mo. on electricity during the summer and winter. Again, I spend about half that but that's because I bundle up in the winter and put a fan in the room in the summer.
So, long story short: it really depends on your lifestyle and what you want.
Moral: It's easy to live cheap in China and have a nice quality of life, as long as you're not trying to emulate life back home.
