Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $741 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
Learn more

Bulacan Living Index

Jump to prices

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Bulacan

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 Bulacan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $741 per month in Chengdu vs $638 in Bulacan, rent included.

Chengdu $741
Bulacan $638

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Chengdu vs $927 in Bulacan, rent included.

Chengdu $1,204
Bulacan $927

A family of three spends $1,667 per month in Chengdu vs $1,215 in Bulacan, rent included.

Chengdu $1,667
Bulacan $1,215

Chengdu costs about 16% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chengdu and Bulacan are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Bulacan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.69

$2.00 ₱126

40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.37 ¥149

$15.88 ₱1,000

40.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.81

$2.71 ₱171

81.18%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ¥19.26

$1.79 ₱112

60.89%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.44 ₱27.72

13.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.26 ₱16.39

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$0.93 ₱58.4

64.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.59

$1.60 ₱101

36.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.71

$1.61 ₱102

18.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.01

$1.16 ₱73.1

29.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$0.95 ₱60.1

4.21%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.40

$1.79 ₱113

-12.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.1

$2.80 ₱176

419.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.45

$3.45 ₱217

6.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.7

$6.03 ₱380

85.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$2.06 ₱130

-10.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.18

$1.56 ₱98.2

-12.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.99 ₱125

-45.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.73

$1.04 ₱65.4

11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.61 ₱101

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$1.73 ₱109

-58.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.62 ₱39.14

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.49 ₱31.07

10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.86

$3.04 ₱191

22.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ¥30.57

$3.53 ₱222

29.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$0.89 ₱56.3

-7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$1.56 ₱98.1

-5.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.19 ₱11.81

126.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 ¥164

$6.68 ₱421

266.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$0.69 ₱43.19

88.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.15 ₱9.67

93.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ¥29.81

$1.87 ₱118

138.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.06 ₱66.7

24.53%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

-9.70%

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

$17.4K ¥115.9K

$16.4K ₱1.0M

5.94%

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

$47.19 ¥315

$112 ₱7,031

-57.74%

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

$9.21 ¥61.5

$17.26 ₱1,087

-46.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.45 ¥83.1

$23.39 ₱1,472

-46.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 ¥179

$37.17 ₱2,340

-27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 ¥76.1

$0.78 ₱49.15

1360.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.57

$5.09 ₱320

19.45%

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

$379 ¥2,531

$96.7 ₱6,088

292.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.9K

$941 ₱59.3K

1473.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.28 ¥169

$28.48 ₱1,793

-11.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 ¥185

$19.39 ₱1,221

43.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 ¥380

$75.5 ₱4,756

-24.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥351

$55.5 ₱3,493

-5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ¥3,099

$237 ₱14.9K

95.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ¥1,657

$146 ₱9,223

69.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 ¥5,429

$385 ₱24.2K

111.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,560

$215 ₱13.5K

148.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 ¥25.1K

$1,879 ₱118.3K

100.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ¥12.7K

$1,458 ₱91.8K

30.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$290 ₱18.2K

332.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

6.75

-49.93%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$248 33.5%

Bulacan

$146 23% 41% $102

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$196 26.5%

Bulacan

$147 23% 25.2% $50

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 11.7%

Bulacan

$56 8.8% 35.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.9%

Bulacan

$81 12.6% 10% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.3%

Bulacan

$152 23.9% 121% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.3%

Bulacan

$47 7.4% 21.6% $8.4

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4% 69.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chengdu versus $237 in Bulacan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 332% higher in Chengdu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu versus $16.00 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $147 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

Same time as Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chengdu Bulacan 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chengdu costs about 16% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Chengdu and $958 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulacan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $741 in Chengdu and $638 in Bulacan. That's a gap of about 16%.

Public transport costs about 267% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $741 in Chengdu and $638 in Bulacan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Bulacan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bulacan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.