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Average Molecular and Cellular Biologist Salary in China for 2026

A molecular and cellular biologist in China earns about 743,100 CNY a year. That's 111% above the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 394,800 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 1,130,800 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, symbol ¥), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in China, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a molecular and cellular biologist make in China?

Average salary
743,100 CNY
61,925 CNY per month
Lowest reported
394,800 CNY
32,900 CNY per month
Highest reported
1,130,800 CNY
94,233 CNY per month

A typical molecular and cellular biologist working in China brings home around 61,925 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 394,800 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,130,800 CNY for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior molecular and cellular biologist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How molecular and cellular biologist pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all molecular and cellular biologists in China earn less than 699,700 CNY a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 491,000 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 860,300 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of molecular and cellular biologists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 394,800 CNY. The highest stretch to 1,130,800 CNY, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

394,800
Low
699,700
Median
1,130,800
High
491,000
25th
860,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Molecular and cellular biologist pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a molecular and cellular biologist in China, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical molecular and cellular biologist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    453,200 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +23% from previous
    555,800 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +42% from previous
    788,000 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +17% from previous
    918,500 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    1,011,500 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    1,070,600 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a molecular and cellular biologist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Molecular and cellular biologist pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving molecular and cellular biologist pay in China. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average molecular and cellular biologist salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    498,500 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +59% from previous
    791,200 CNY
  • PhD
    +30% from previous
    1,025,100 CNY

Molecular and cellular biologist gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male molecular and cellular biologists in China earn an average of 772,700 CNY a year, while female molecular and cellular biologists earn around 701,400 CNY. That works out to a 10% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Molecular and Cellular Biologist gender pay gap

9%

Men earn this much more than women on average in China.

Men 772,700 CNY
Women 701,400 CNY

Pay raises for a molecular and cellular biologist in China

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in China sees a raise of about 13% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education
    2%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Molecular and cellular biologist bonus rates in China

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

56%

56% of molecular and cellular biologists in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a molecular and cellular biologist a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 44% of molecular and cellular biologists reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Molecular and cellular biologist: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in China on average.

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Molecular and cellular biologist salary by city and region in China

Molecular and cellular biologist pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Shandong
  • Guangzhou
  • Guangdong
  • Jiangsu
  • Sichuan
  • Shanghai (city)
  • Chongqing (city)
  • Hebei
  • Hunan
  • Jinan
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
ShandongRegion894,500 CNY946,000 CNY421,400-1,417,600 CNY
GuangzhouCity862,400 CNY814,100 CNY459,700-1,306,100 CNY
GuangdongRegion862,400 CNY883,500 CNY424,300-1,345,400 CNY
JiangsuRegion862,200 CNY879,700 CNY420,800-1,345,400 CNY
SichuanRegion860,300 CNY808,000 CNY455,400-1,306,100 CNY
Shanghai (city)City846,500 CNY829,000 CNY430,500-1,306,100 CNY
Chongqing (city)City840,800 CNY906,000 CNY385,300-1,333,900 CNY
HebeiRegion832,100 CNY862,400 CNY398,300-1,306,100 CNY
HunanRegion824,800 CNY874,900 CNY386,400-1,306,100 CNY
JinanCity824,800 CNY843,600 CNY406,300-1,283,600 CNY
ChengduCity816,900 CNY849,200 CNY392,300-1,283,600 CNY
HenanRegion814,100 CNY780,700 CNY420,800-1,249,900 CNY
WuhanCity810,200 CNY791,600 CNY414,000-1,249,900 CNY
GuangxiRegion810,200 CNY791,600 CNY414,000-1,249,900 CNY
Tianjin (city)City800,500 CNY767,500 CNY415,900-1,224,800 CNY
YunnanRegion799,300 CNY767,500 CNY417,200-1,224,800 CNY
ShenzhenCity791,200 CNY744,700 CNY417,100-1,198,300 CNY
HubeiRegion790,300 CNY725,700 CNY425,100-1,192,500 CNY
Beijing (city)City790,300 CNY772,900 CNY403,100-1,212,800 CNY
AnhuiRegion788,000 CNY818,100 CNY378,300-1,235,600 CNY
HangzhouCity782,500 CNY830,500 CNY367,200-1,235,600 CNY
LiaoningRegion778,200 CNY839,500 CNY357,300-1,235,600 CNY
Xi anCity772,900 CNY836,800 CNY357,300-1,235,600 CNY
ZhejiangRegion757,600 CNY696,700 CNY409,000-1,142,900 CNY
ShaanxiRegion757,300 CNY694,700 CNY407,300-1,141,600 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion756,700 CNY756,700 CNY378,800-1,174,600 CNY
SuzhouCity752,600 CNY693,100 CNY407,100-1,136,700 CNY
WenzhouCity751,100 CNY721,600 CNY388,100-1,147,600 CNY
HarbinCity751,100 CNY767,000 CNY367,200-1,172,900 CNY
ShenyangCity748,600 CNY810,200 CNY344,600-1,192,500 CNY
QingdaoCity745,000 CNY807,900 CNY341,900-1,187,900 CNY
ShantouCity744,700 CNY758,700 CNY363,000-1,162,900 CNY
JiangxiRegion744,700 CNY727,100 CNY378,800-1,145,100 CNY
NanjingCity744,700 CNY744,700 CNY371,100-1,152,700 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region728,500 CNY701,400 CNY378,800-1,114,700 CNY
ShanxiRegion724,000 CNY710,500 CNY369,900-1,114,700 CNY
FujianRegion721,600 CNY663,200 CNY389,200-1,088,100 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion717,900 CNY745,000 CNY345,100-1,125,300 CNY
KunmingCity704,300 CNY717,900 CNY345,100-1,098,200 CNY
JilinRegion696,700 CNY656,800 CNY369,900-1,057,700 CNY
ChangchunCity692,500 CNY679,200 CNY351,200-1,065,400 CNY
FuzhouCity692,500 CNY663,100 CNY359,900-1,058,800 CNY
GuizhouRegion688,900 CNY645,800 CNY363,000-1,043,700 CNY
GansuRegion681,500 CNY722,100 CNY319,600-1,078,200 CNY
FoshanCity680,100 CNY667,400 CNY345,700-1,045,100 CNY
ChangshaCity675,100 CNY620,300 CNY365,400-1,019,200 CNY
DongguanCity669,100 CNY681,500 CNY327,800-1,041,900 CNY
XiamenCity667,400 CNY667,400 CNY332,500-1,031,200 CNY
Beijing (region)Region667,400 CNY667,400 CNY332,100-1,032,800 CNY
DalianCity665,300 CNY721,600 CNY308,900-1,059,800 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region663,200 CNY675,200 CNY325,800-1,032,800 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion659,400 CNY684,900 CNY313,700-1,032,800 CNY
ZhengzhouCity658,300 CNY645,800 CNY335,800-1,015,500 CNY
QuanzhouCity648,200 CNY699,700 CNY299,500-1,028,300 CNY
HainanRegion639,900 CNY692,500 CNY294,300-1,016,300 CNY
WuxiCity639,100 CNY649,700 CNY311,700-993,600 CNY
QinghaiRegion631,200 CNY606,400 CNY327,300-970,200 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region629,800 CNY629,800 CNY313,700-976,300 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region626,800 CNY675,200 CNY286,400-993,600 CNY
NingxiaRegion623,200 CNY623,200 CNY311,700-965,800 CNY

Molecular and Cellular Biologist in China: FAQs

  • How much does a molecular and cellular biologist make per month in China?

    A molecular and cellular biologist in China earns about 61,925 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 743,100 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for a molecular and cellular biologist in China?

    Entry-level molecular and cellular biologists in China start near 394,800 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 1,130,800 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 491,000 and 860,300 CNY.

  • Is the median molecular and cellular biologist salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 699,700 CNY, lower than the average of 743,100 CNY. Half of molecular and cellular biologists in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for molecular and cellular biologists in China?

    Men working as a molecular and cellular biologist in China earn around 10% more than women on average (772,700 vs 701,400 CNY a year).

  • Do molecular and cellular biologists in China get bonuses?

    About 56% of molecular and cellular biologists in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

  • Do molecular and cellular biologists earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays a molecular and cellular biologist about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do molecular and cellular biologists in China get a pay raise?

    A molecular and cellular biologist in China sees a raise of around 13% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.