People in big Chinese cities feel that their living standards have dropped despite rising income levels, according to the results of a recent survey, the Yangcheng Evening News reports.

People living in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou feel that their wealth has shrunk and that their quality of life has worsened, though their personal income and social welfare has remained relatively stable, even rising over the past year.

Inflation may be to blame. China's climbing consumer price index (CPI) has counteracted the benefits of increasing personal income and improvements in social welfare.

The Canton Public Research Center released the results of a survey on the economic situation of citizens living in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on Wednesday. The survey was conducted randomly among 2000 people by phone, covering newly-built districts and older housing communities.

55 percent of respondents felt that individual income and social security remained relatively stable throughout 2011.

The amount of people who feel that their personal income has increased is 20 percent greater than the amount who believe that their earnings have decreased.

But more feel that their quality of life has diminished and that their actual wealth has deteriorated.

China's CPI rose to a three-month high of 4.5 percent in January, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced on Thursday.