Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bauru and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $741 a month against $834 in Bauru, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bauru
🇧🇷 Brazil
$834
/mo nomad
Chengdu
🇨🇳 China
$741
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bauru and in Chengdu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $834 in Bauru versus $741 in Chengdu.

  • Bauru $834
  • Chengdu $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,279 in Bauru versus $1,204 in Chengdu.

  • Bauru $1,279
  • Chengdu $1,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,724 in Bauru versus $1,667 in Chengdu.

  • Bauru $1,724
  • Chengdu $1,667

Living in Bauru is roughly 13% more expensive than in Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bauru 38% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.96 R$25.17
$2.80 ¥18.69
77.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.17 R$138
$22.37 ¥149
21.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.58 R$38.43
$4.91 ¥32.81
54.38%
Cappuccino
$1.62 R$8.20
$2.88 ¥19.26
-43.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 R$4.83
$0.50 ¥3.37
90.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 R$2.86
$0.28 ¥1.88
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.55 R$7.87
$1.53 ¥10.19
1.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 R$13.45
$2.19 ¥14.59
21.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 R$5.19
$1.90 ¥12.71
-46.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 R$7.79
$1.50 ¥10.01
2.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 R$6.34
$0.99 ¥6.61
26.26%
Eggs
$2.57 R$13.04
$1.56 ¥10.40
64.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.90 R$40.03
$14.54 ¥97.1
-45.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.30 R$21.81
$3.66 ¥24.45
17.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.32 R$32.04
$11.19 ¥74.7
-43.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.14 R$10.84
$1.85 ¥12.38
15.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 R$7.42
$1.37 ¥9.18
6.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.47
$1.09 ¥7.27
17.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.78 R$9.02
$1.16 ¥7.73
53.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 R$6.94
$0.70 ¥4.70
95.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.50
$0.72 ¥4.83
77.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 R$6.94
$0.62 ¥4.16
120.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 R$5.13
$0.54 ¥3.63
87.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.39 R$12.10
$3.72 ¥24.86
-35.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.88 R$34.87
$4.58 ¥30.57
50.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 R$6.21
$0.82 ¥5.48
48.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 R$12.20
$1.48 ¥9.85
62.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.97 R$4.92
$0.43 ¥2.87
125.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.11 R$153
$24.50 ¥164
22.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 R$9.75
$1.30 ¥8.69
47.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 R$6.72
$0.29 ¥1.94
358.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.92 R$19.89
$4.46 ¥29.81
-12.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 R$6.03
$1.32 ¥8.80
-9.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K R$120.3K
$19.6K ¥130.7K
21.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.7K R$180.9K
$17.4K ¥115.9K
105.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 R$694
$47.19 ¥315
190.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.52 R$53.3
$9.21 ¥61.5
14.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.33 R$103
$12.45 ¥83.1
63.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.18 R$97.3
$26.80 ¥179
-28.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.46 R$119
$11.39 ¥76.1
105.97%
Cinema Ticket
$5.42 R$27.49
$6.08 ¥40.57
-10.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$257 R$1,302
$379 ¥2,531
-32.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,947 R$30.1K
$14.8K ¥98.9K
-59.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.7 R$353
$25.28 ¥169
175.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.7 R$257
$27.77 ¥185
82.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 R$550
$56.9 ¥380
90.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.0 R$395
$52.6 ¥351
48.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$246 R$1,249
$464 ¥3,099
-46.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$167 R$848
$248 ¥1,657
-32.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$456 R$2,314
$813 ¥5,429
-43.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 R$1,545
$533 ¥3,560
-42.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,615 R$8,185
$3,762 ¥25.1K
-57.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$722 R$3,661
$1,902 ¥12.7K
-62.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bauru
Chengdu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$379 R$1,919
$1,252 ¥8,356
-69.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.59
3.38
183.73%

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

Last update for Bauru: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bauru
$188
Chengdu
$196 4.6% $8.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bauru
$168
Chengdu
$69 58.9% $99
Accommodation & Living
Bauru
$167
Chengdu
$248 48.4% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Bauru
$138
Chengdu
$73 47% $65
Eating Out
Bauru
$101
Chengdu
$87 14% $14
Getting Around
Bauru
$43
Chengdu
$29 31.9% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Bauru
$30
Chengdu
$39 29.7% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Bauru and $464 in Chengdu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chengdu pays 231% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27.00 in Bauru vs $22.00 in Chengdu. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $196, with Bauru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Bauru
🇨🇳 Chengdu
🕒 Local time
08:47 8:47 AM
19:47 7:47 PM
11 h ahead of Bauru
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
379,146
20,937,757
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bauru Chengdu 17,190 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bauru
  • Chengdu

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
Bauru vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bauru or Chengdu?
Chengdu wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Bauru. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chengdu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bauru or in Chengdu?
On paper, salaries run 231% lower in Chengdu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bauru compared to Chengdu?
Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Bauru versus $464 in Chengdu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Bauru and in Chengdu?
Dining out is cheaper in Chengdu – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $27.00 in Bauru. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Bauru compared to Chengdu?
All in, you'll spend $834 per month in Bauru versus $741 in Chengdu – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Bauru or in Chengdu?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Chengdu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Bauru or Chengdu?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Chengdu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Bauru. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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