Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cayman Islands and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $4,833 in the Cayman Islands, rent and utilities included – about $48,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

231

Cost of Living Index in the Cayman Islands
Learn more

Cayman Islands Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,833

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,833 per month in the Cayman Islands vs $791 in China, rent included.

Cayman Islands $4,833
China $791

A couple spends around $7,361 per month in the Cayman Islands vs $1,251 in China, rent included.

Cayman Islands $7,361
China $1,251

A family of three spends $9,889 per month in the Cayman Islands vs $1,711 in China, rent included.

Cayman Islands $9,889
China $1,711

The regional cost range is wider in the Cayman Islands ($3,928–$4,938) than in China ($465–$1,222), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the Cayman Islands is about 511% higher than in China on average.

The Cayman Islands sits 255% above the global median, while China is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.93 KYD 24.54

$2.98 ¥19.81

904.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 KYD 92.9

$22.09 ¥147

412.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.97 KYD 13.92

$5.20 ¥34.60

226.35%

Cappuccino

$7.24 KYD 5.94

$2.97 ¥19.74

143.77%

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

$3.24 KYD 2.65

$0.48 ¥3.19

575.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 KYD 2.50

$0.30 ¥2.01

916.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 KYD 5.89

$1.08 ¥7.18

564.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 KYD 7.35

$2.28 ¥15.15

292.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.30 KYD 3.52

$1.80 ¥11.96

138.89%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 KYD 3.81

$1.68 ¥11.15

176.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.98 KYD 4.09

$0.92 ¥6.13

441.30%

Eggs

$7.51 KYD 6.16

$1.61 ¥10.73

366.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$46.91 KYD 38.47

$13.38 ¥89.1

250.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.33 KYD 16.67

$3.35 ¥22.28

506.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.81 KYD 17.07

$11.35 ¥75.5

83.35%

Apples (1kg)

$7.74 KYD 6.35

$1.82 ¥12.12

325.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 KYD 2.99

$1.31 ¥8.69

178.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.94 KYD 5.69

$1.49 ¥9.89

365.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.82 KYD 6.41

$1.27 ¥8.47

515.75%

Potato (1kg)

$4.70 KYD 3.86

$0.71 ¥4.73

561.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 KYD 3.15

$0.93 ¥6.21

313.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.68 KYD 3.01

$0.62 ¥4.12

493.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 KYD 2.05

$0.56 ¥3.74

348.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.67 KYD 12.03

$3.78 ¥25.15

288.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.59 KYD 19.35

$12.13 ¥80.8

94.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 KYD 3.53

$0.83 ¥5.54

418.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 KYD 4.50

$1.68 ¥11.21

226.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 KYD 1.91

$0.29 ¥1.92

703.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 KYD 97.7

$17.83 ¥119

568.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.03 KYD 15.61

$1.49 ¥9.89

1177.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.83 KYD 3.14

$0.37 ¥2.49

935.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.56 KYD 36.54

$7.10 ¥47.24

527.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 KYD 1.36

$1.26 ¥8.37

31.75%

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

$42.6K KYD 34.9K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

119.16%

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

$39.7K KYD 32.6K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

126.46%

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

$479 KYD 392

$54.6 ¥363

777.07%

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

$119 KYD 97.2

$8.73 ¥58.1

1257.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$116 KYD 95.1

$11.07 ¥73.7

947.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$202 KYD 166

$40.77 ¥271

395.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.99 KYD 39.35

$14.48 ¥96.4

231.42%

Cinema Ticket

$18.31 KYD 15.01

$6.78 ¥45.12

170.06%

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

$1,672 KYD 1,371

$517 ¥3,438

223.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.9K KYD 22.1K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

36.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 KYD 71.1

$46.53 ¥310

86.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.7 KYD 64.5

$35.66 ¥237

120.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 KYD 110

$77.0 ¥512

73.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 KYD 121

$80.3 ¥534

84.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,027 KYD 2,482

$386 ¥2,567

684.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,339 KYD 1,918

$235 ¥1,561

897.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,796 KYD 4,753

$822 ¥5,469

605.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,597 KYD 3,770

$453 ¥3,015

914.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K KYD 10.6K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

176.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,650 KYD 6,273

$2,372 ¥15.8K

222.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,620 KYD 6,248

$1,093 ¥7,275

597.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

3.46

108.09%

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

Last update for the Cayman Islands: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cayman Islands

$2.3K 48.4%

China

$235 29.6% 90% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Cayman Islands

$718 14.9%

China

$210 26.5% 70.7% $508

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayman Islands

$713 14.8%

China

$74 9.4% 89.6% $639

Eating Out

Cayman Islands

$456 9.4%

China

$88 11.1% 80.7% $368

Sport & Entertainment

Cayman Islands

$239 4.9%

China

$54 6.9% 77.2% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Cayman Islands

$201 4.2%

China

$108 13.6% 46.5% $94

Getting Around

Cayman Islands

$167 3.5%

China

$22 2.8% 86.6% $144

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $3,562 in the Cayman Islands vs $298 in China. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,881 in George Town and $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Average salary: $7,780 in the Cayman Islands vs $873 in China. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1095% higher in the Cayman Islands.

Dining out costs 414% more in the Cayman Islands.

Public transport is 556% more expensive in the Cayman Islands.

Salaries are about 8.9 times higher in the Cayman Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cayman Islands.

Good to know

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

08:34 8:34 AM

13 h ahead of the Cayman Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,483

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.1 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KYD – Cayman Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands Dollar ($)

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.913 KYD (1 KYD = 1.1 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to KYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cayman Islands China 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Cayman Islands
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

Cayman Islands vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 84% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Cayman Islands: a central one-bedroom averages $3,562 versus $298 in China.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in China – part of why living there is about 84% cheaper overall.

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.