Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgium and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $2,224 in Belgium, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Belgium
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Belgium Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,224

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belgium 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 Belgium and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,224 in Belgium versus $784 in China.

Belgium $2,224
China $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,262 in Belgium versus $1,268 in China.

Belgium $3,262
China $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,301 in Belgium versus $1,752 in China.

Belgium $4,301
China $1,752

Belgium ($1,782–$2,552) and China ($461–$1,250) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Belgium is roughly 184% more expensive than in China on average.

Belgium (66% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.21 €19.82

$2.90 ¥19.39

665.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €80.2

$22.02 ¥147

307.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.86

$5.20 ¥34.74

155.58%

Cappuccino

$4.13 €3.69

$3.04 ¥20.31

35.86%

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

$3.44 €3.07

$0.52 ¥3.45

561.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.56

$0.28 ¥1.85

925.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$1.01 ¥6.75

464.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 €4.78

$2.19 ¥14.64

144.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.75 ¥11.71

-28.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.64 ¥10.96

53.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$0.92 ¥6.12

161.96%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.62

$1.59 ¥10.66

155.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.86 €14.15

$12.99 ¥86.8

22.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.18 €10.87

$3.35 ¥22.38

263.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.71 €18.48

$11.18 ¥74.7

85.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.80 ¥12.02

51.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.31 ¥8.78

79.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 €2.36

$1.47 ¥9.80

79.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.91

$1.32 ¥8.79

146.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.76 ¥5.07

194.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.92 ¥6.15

96.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.59 ¥3.94

161.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.54 ¥3.63

105.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.01 €11.61

$3.79 ¥25.34

243.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 €7.86

$12.14 ¥81.1

-27.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.82 ¥5.48

129.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.63 ¥10.92

46.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 €2.86

$0.29 ¥1.93

1006.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 €49.52

$22.33 ¥149

148.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 €4.92

$1.53 ¥10.24

260.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.44

$0.35 ¥2.31

680.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.73 €40.81

$7.00 ¥46.79

553.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.31 ¥8.77

54.96%

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

$35.7K €31.9K

$19.0K ¥127.1K

87.65%

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

$33.6K €29.9K

$17.0K ¥113.7K

97.21%

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

$237 €211

$54.1 ¥362

337.10%

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

$22.53 €20.11

$8.42 ¥56.3

167.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 €48.02

$10.72 ¥71.6

401.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.38 €31.57

$40.72 ¥272

-13.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.79 €18.56

$14.58 ¥97.4

42.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 €13.35

$6.76 ¥45.15

121.30%

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

$1,034 €923

$462 ¥3,089

123.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K €26.2K

$19.6K ¥131.0K

49.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €94.2

$45.57 ¥305

131.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.51 €42.40

$36.05 ¥241

31.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.3

$75.4 ¥504

44.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$79.0 ¥528

83.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 €868

$386 ¥2,577

152.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 €759

$240 ¥1,601

254.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,344

$843 ¥5,637

78.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 €1,127

$461 ¥3,083

173.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,520 €4,033

$4,590 ¥30.7K

-1.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,184 €2,841

$2,279 ¥15.2K

39.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,036 €2,709

$1,060 ¥7,082

186.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.46

5.20%

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

Last update for Belgium: October 5, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belgium

$850 39%

China

$240 30.1% 71.8% $611

Groceries & Markets

Belgium

$350 16.1%

China

$207 26.1% 40.9% $143

Eating Out

Belgium

$332 15.2%

China

$88 11.1% 73.5% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belgium

$313 14.4%

China

$73 9.2% 76.6% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Belgium

$183 8.4%

China

$106 13.4% 42% $77

Getting Around

Belgium

$87 4%

China

$27 3.4% 69.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Belgium

$65 3%

China

$54 6.8% 16.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $942 in Belgium, $297 in China. Capital cities: $1,318 in Brussels vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,946 in Belgium, $868 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 217% higher in Belgium.

Dining out costs 338% more in Belgium.

Public transport is 159% more expensive in Belgium.

Salaries are 239% higher in Belgium, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Belgium.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Belgium

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

6 h ahead of Belgium

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,584,008

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Belgium China 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Belgium
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

Belgium vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,224 per month in Belgium and $784 in China, there's a 184% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $942 in Belgium and $297 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Belgium it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Belgium may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.