The cost of taking the IELTS in China will drop by 180 RMB in a few weeks. That’s about $25 USD. After the drop it will cost 1990 RMB to take the test (about $280 USD). It also seems that the UKVI version will have the same price as the standard version (a drop of 230 RMB). Cancellation and change fees will also be lowered.
It is unclear if this is an effort by the British Council to make their product a bit more attractive as the TOEFL test kicks off a high-profile renewal process, an effort by the NEEA to make the test more consumer friendly, an impending IDP launch, or something else entirely.
Let me know if you see any price changes in your market. Here in Korea, the price was hiked in the summer.
(FYI: It currently costs 2100 RMB to take the TOEFL in China, which is about $295 USD)