Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between American Samoa and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,470 in American Samoa, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in American Samoa
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American Samoa Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,470

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in American Samoa and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in American Samoa and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,470 per month in American Samoa vs $791 in China, rent included.

American Samoa $1,470
China $791

A couple spends around $2,274 per month in American Samoa vs $1,251 in China, rent included.

American Samoa $2,274
China $1,251

A family of three spends $3,079 per month in American Samoa vs $1,711 in China, rent included.

American Samoa $3,079
China $1,711

The regional cost range is wider in China ($465–$1,222) than in American Samoa ($1,477–$1,477), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in American Samoa is about 86% higher than in China on average.

American Samoa sits 8% above the global median, while China is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.28 $35.28

$22.09 ¥147

59.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 $10.03

$5.20 ¥34.60

92.88%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.19

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.30 ¥2.01

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.28 ¥15.15

71.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.80 ¥11.96

45.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.68 ¥11.15

68.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$0.92 ¥6.13

361.96%

Eggs

$4.51 $4.51

$1.61 ¥10.73

180.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 $10.30

$13.38 ¥89.1

-23.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 $9.95

$3.35 ¥22.28

197.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$11.35 ¥75.5

1.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.82 ¥12.12

225.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.31 ¥8.69

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.49 ¥9.89

106.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.27 ¥8.47

216.54%

Potato (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$0.71 ¥4.73

469.01%

Onion (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$0.93 ¥6.21

335.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.62 ¥4.12

230.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.56 ¥3.74

262.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.31 $11.31

$3.78 ¥25.15

199.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$12.13 ¥80.7

25.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.83 ¥5.54

22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.68 ¥11.21

78.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.29 ¥1.92

575.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$17.83 ¥119

585.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 $4.99

$1.49 ¥9.89

234.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.37 ¥2.49

448.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.26 $30.26

$7.10 ¥47.24

326.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.26 ¥8.37

3.17%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.6K $29.6K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

52.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.7K $19.7K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

12.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$410 $410

$54.6 ¥363

651.37%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.48 $29.48

$8.73 ¥58.1

237.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$11.07 ¥73.6

584.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$40.77 ¥271

23.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 $9.92

$14.48 ¥96.4

-31.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.79 $8.79

$6.78 ¥45.12

29.65%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,002 $1,002

$517 ¥3,438

94.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,850 $9,850

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-50.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.6 $69.6

$46.53 ¥310

49.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.84 $49.84

$35.66 ¥237

39.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 $80.1

$77.0 ¥512

4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$80.3 ¥534

24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 $324

$386 ¥2,567

-16.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 $198

$235 ¥1,561

-15.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 $906

$822 ¥5,469

10.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 $700

$453 ¥3,015

54.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

286.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

345.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,199 $1,199

$1,093 ¥7,274

9.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

-13.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for American Samoa: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

American Samoa

$515 35.1%

China

$74 9.4% 85.6% $441

Groceries & Markets

American Samoa

$367 25%

China

$210 26.5% 42.7% $157

Accommodation & Living

American Samoa

$198 13.5%

China

$235 29.6% 18.6% $37

Getting Around

American Samoa

$145 9.9%

China

$22 2.8% 84.6% $123

Clothing & Footwear

American Samoa

$135 9.2%

China

$108 13.6% 20.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

American Samoa

$68 4.6%

China

$54 6.9% 20% $14

Eating Out

American Samoa

$42 * 2.9%

China

$88 11.1% 110% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $327 in American Samoa vs $298 in China. For reference, capital cities sit at $327 in Pago Pago and $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Average salary: $1,183 in American Samoa vs $873 in China. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in American Samoa.

Dining out costs 64% more in American Samoa.

Public transport is 594% more expensive in American Samoa.

Salaries are 36% higher in American Samoa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇦🇸 American Samoa

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

19 h ahead of American Samoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,710

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

American Samoa China 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

American Samoa
China

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

American Samoa vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 46% lower on average.

Housing costs more in American Samoa: a central one-bedroom averages $327 versus $298 in China.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in China, adding to the overall 86% price gap.

China is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.