Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Verde and China

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,123 in Cape Verde, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cape Verde
China
🇨🇻 Cape Verde
$1,123
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$791
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,123 per month in Cape Verde vs $791 in China, rent included.

  • Cape Verde $1,123
  • China $791

A couple spends around $1,700 per month in Cape Verde vs $1,251 in China, rent included.

  • Cape Verde $1,700
  • China $1,251

A family of three spends $2,276 per month in Cape Verde vs $1,711 in China, rent included.

  • Cape Verde $2,276
  • China $1,711

Cost ranges are similar: Cape Verde spans $387–$1,195, China $465–$1,222. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Cape Verde is about 42% higher than in China on average.

Both Cape Verde and China are more affordable than the global median – Cape Verde 18% lower, China 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Verde
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.46 CVE 540
$2.98 ¥19.84
83.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.4 CVE 5,280
$22.09 ¥147
141.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.67 CVE 956
$5.20 ¥34.66
85.96%
Cappuccino
$2.42 CVE 239
$2.97 ¥19.77
-18.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CVE 209
$0.48 ¥3.19
341.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 CVE 117
$0.30 ¥2.01
296.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.00 CVE 297
$1.08 ¥7.19
177.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 CVE 195
$2.28 ¥15.18
-13.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Verde
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 CVE 137
$1.80 ¥11.98
-22.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 CVE 169
$1.68 ¥11.17
1.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 CVE 183
$0.92 ¥6.14
101.09%
Eggs
$2.45 CVE 242
$1.61 ¥10.75
52.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.30 CVE 1,315
$13.38 ¥89.2
-0.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.68 CVE 858
$3.35 ¥22.31
159.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.49 CVE 1,828
$11.35 ¥75.7
62.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.13 CVE 310
$1.82 ¥12.14
71.98%
Banana (1kg)
$2.64 CVE 261
$1.31 ¥8.71
101.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 CVE 292
$1.49 ¥9.91
97.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.84 CVE 380
$1.27 ¥8.49
202.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 CVE 147
$0.71 ¥4.74
109.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 CVE 172
$0.93 ¥6.22
87.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 CVE 124
$0.62 ¥4.12
101.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 CVE 121
$0.56 ¥3.75
117.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.97 CVE 492
$3.78 ¥25.19
31.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.00 CVE 791
$12.13 ¥80.9
-34.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 CVE 204
$0.83 ¥5.55
148.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 CVE 177
$1.68 ¥11.23
6.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Verde
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 CVE 87.7
$0.29 ¥1.92
206.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.02 CVE 2,969
$17.83 ¥119
68.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.98 CVE 196
$1.49 ¥9.91
32.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.56 CVE 253
$0.37 ¥2.50
591.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.49 CVE 1,532
$7.10 ¥47.31
118.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 CVE 149
$1.26 ¥8.39
19.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K CVE 2.9M
$19.4K ¥129.6K
51.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K CVE 3.8M
$17.5K ¥116.9K
120.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Verde
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 CVE 14.6K
$54.6 ¥364
170.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.86 CVE 1,667
$8.73 ¥58.2
93.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.8 CVE 5,222
$11.07 ¥73.8
377.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Verde
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.34 CVE 2,901
$40.77 ¥272
-28.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.86 CVE 778
$14.48 ¥96.5
-45.72%
Cinema Ticket
$5.57 CVE 550
$6.78 ¥45.19
-17.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Verde
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$147 CVE 14.5K
$517 ¥3,443
-71.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,055 CVE 302.1K
$19.8K ¥132.0K
-84.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Verde
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 CVE 5,045
$46.53 ¥310
9.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.45 CVE 2,517
$35.66 ¥238
-28.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.7 CVE 6,399
$77.0 ¥513
-15.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 CVE 13.5K
$80.3 ¥535
70.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Verde
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$419 CVE 41.4K
$386 ¥2,572
8.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$251 CVE 24.8K
$235 ¥1,563
7.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$577 CVE 57.1K
$822 ¥5,478
-29.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 CVE 33.0K
$453 ¥3,020
-26.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,099 CVE 108.6K
$4,697 ¥31.3K
-76.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$777 CVE 76.9K
$2,372 ¥15.8K
-67.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Verde
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$325 CVE 32.1K
$1,093 ¥7,286
-70.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.33
3.46
111.85%

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

Last update for Cape Verde: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Cape Verde
$307
China
$210 31.6% $97
Accommodation & Living
Cape Verde
$251
China
$235 6.6% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Verde
$217
China
$74 65.8% $143
Eating Out
Cape Verde
$134
China
$88 34.2% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Verde
$125
China
$108 13.8% $17
Getting Around
Cape Verde
$48
China
$22 53.8% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Verde
$40
China
$54 34.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $412 in Cape Verde vs $298 in China. For reference, capital cities sit at $570 in Praia and $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Average salary: $275 in Cape Verde vs $873 in China. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in Cape Verde.

Dining out costs 109% more in Cape Verde.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Cape Verde.

Salaries are about 3.2 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know
🇨🇻 Cape Verde
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
08:20 8:20 AM
17:20 5:20 PM
9 h ahead of Cape Verde
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
555,988
1,442,965,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 98.88 CVE (100 CVE = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Verde China 12,640 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Verde
  • 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
Cape Verde vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Cape Verde or China?
China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 30% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Cape Verde or in China?
Housing costs more in Cape Verde: a central one-bedroom averages $412 versus $298 in China.
How do daily expenses compare in Cape Verde vs China?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in China, adding to the overall 42% price gap.
Which country is better for expats: Cape Verde or China?
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.

Cape Verde vs other spots: cost of living compared

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