Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Aracaju

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $659 a month against $723 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chengdu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
Learn more

Aracaju Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$723

/mo nomad

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Aracaju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Chengdu versus $659 in Aracaju.

Chengdu $723
Aracaju $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,161 in Chengdu versus $1,043 in Aracaju.

Chengdu $1,161
Aracaju $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,600 in Chengdu versus $1,427 in Aracaju.

Chengdu $1,600
Aracaju $1,427

Living in Chengdu is roughly 10% more expensive than in Aracaju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chengdu 47% lower, Aracaju 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.87 ¥19.13

$4.63 R$25.28

-38.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.50 ¥150

$21.63 R$118

4.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 ¥32.12

$5.42 R$29.61

-11.07%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ¥19.04

$1.92 R$10.48

48.96%

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

$0.48 ¥3.23

$1.07 R$5.85

-55.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.55 R$3.02

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.88 R$10.25

-18.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.12

$2.90 R$15.85

-21.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.27

$1.03 R$5.61

78.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$1.40 R$7.65

12.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.82

$1.09 R$5.94

-20.18%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.47

$1.59 R$8.66

-1.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.41 ¥96.0

$6.99 R$38.20

106.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ¥23.56

$3.60 R$19.63

-1.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ¥73.9

$6.82 R$37.24

62.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.15

$1.94 R$10.57

-6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.23 R$6.74

7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.25

$0.66 R$3.59

65.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.65

$0.82 R$4.49

40.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.03 R$5.61

-28.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.76

$0.90 R$4.90

-21.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$0.51 R$2.79

25.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.70 R$3.83

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.40

$2.25 R$12.30

69.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.43 ¥29.49

$5.58 R$30.48

-20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.14 R$6.22

-27.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.83

$1.85 R$10.13

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.85 R$4.65

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.92 ¥153

$38.97 R$213

-41.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.18

$1.16 R$6.33

18.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.61 R$3.33

-49.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 ¥30.30

$6.05 R$33.05

-24.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$1.19 R$6.50

8.40%

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

$19.5K ¥129.7K

$21.4K R$116.7K

-8.85%

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

$17.5K ¥116.6K

$31.0K R$169.1K

-43.46%

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

$47.63 ¥317

$58.7 R$320

-18.83%

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

$9.12 ¥60.8

$9.26 R$50.6

-1.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.83 ¥85.5

$15.77 R$86.1

-18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.91 ¥179

$21.03 R$115

27.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 ¥74.1

$25.96 R$142

-57.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.02

$5.85 R$31.92

0.17%

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

$1,162 ¥7,740

$277 R$1,513

319.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.0K ¥226.5K

$5,017 R$27.4K

577.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.39 ¥169

$53.1 R$290

-52.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.92 ¥186

$32.44 R$177

-13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.9 ¥385

$81.1 R$443

-28.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.4 ¥356

$75.3 R$411

-29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 ¥2,813

$280 R$1,530

50.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,545

$135 R$736

72.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ¥5,036

$590 R$3,224

28.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 ¥3,146

$250 R$1,366

88.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,537 ¥23.6K

$1,204 R$6,573

193.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,850 ¥12.3K

$849 R$4,636

117.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,334 ¥8,883

$422 R$2,302

216.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

-66.20%

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

Last update for Chengdu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Aracaju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$232 32.1%

Aracaju

$135 20.5% 41.9% $97

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$194 26.9%

Aracaju

$154 23.4% 20.6% $40

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 12%

Aracaju

$98 14.9% 12.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$74 10.3%

Aracaju

$109 16.5% 46.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$70 9.6%

Aracaju

$84 12.7% 20.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Aracaju

$33 5% 15.3% $5.9

Getting Around

Chengdu

$27 3.8%

Aracaju

$47 7.1% 71.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in Chengdu and $280 in Aracaju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chengdu pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Chengdu vs $22 in Aracaju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $154 per month, with Aracaju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

11 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

602,757

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Aracaju 15,450 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Aracaju

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

Chengdu vs Aracaju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $723 in Chengdu and $659 in Aracaju, so Aracaju is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Chengdu is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $422 in Chengdu versus $280 in Aracaju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Chengdu versus $277 in Aracaju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Chengdu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Aracaju gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Aracaju wins on affordability, Chengdu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.