Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Natal

For one person, living costs are similar in Chengdu and in Natal: $749 and $718 a month, rent and utilities included.

Chengdu
🇨🇳 China
$749
/mo nomad
Natal
🇧🇷 Brazil
$718
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Natal

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

A single person spends $749 per month in Chengdu vs $718 in Natal, rent included.

  • Chengdu $749
  • Natal $718

A couple spends around $1,210 per month in Chengdu vs $1,193 in Natal, rent included.

  • Chengdu $1,210
  • Natal $1,193

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Chengdu vs $1,668 in Natal, rent included.

  • Chengdu $1,672
  • Natal $1,668

Chengdu costs about 4% more than Natal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chengdu and Natal are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Natal 47% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.86 ¥19.11
$5.50 R$27.88
-48.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.74 ¥152
$37.86 R$192
-39.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.83 ¥32.28
$7.57 R$38.37
-36.20%
Cappuccino
$2.99 ¥19.99
$2.03 R$10.31
47.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ¥3.19
$1.09 R$5.54
-55.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.88
$0.60 R$3.02
-53.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.53 ¥10.21
$1.55 R$7.84
-1.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 ¥14.88
$2.32 R$11.78
-3.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 ¥12.10
$1.20 R$6.09
50.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 ¥10.28
$1.22 R$6.18
26.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.21
$1.08 R$5.45
-13.89%
Eggs
$1.55 ¥10.37
$1.86 R$9.45
-16.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.37 ¥96.1
$7.03 R$35.63
104.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.60 ¥24.05
$4.21 R$21.32
-14.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ¥74.5
$8.01 R$40.60
39.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.82 ¥12.19
$1.43 R$7.24
27.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 ¥8.94
$0.96 R$4.85
39.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.09 ¥7.30
$0.78 R$3.96
39.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 ¥7.98
$1.25 R$6.35
-4.80%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ¥4.99
$1.09 R$5.53
-31.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.68 ¥4.52
$1.07 R$5.40
-36.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 ¥4.22
$0.49 R$2.47
28.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.58
$0.58 R$2.93
-6.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.77 ¥25.22
$1.74 R$8.84
116.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.40 ¥29.41
$7.81 R$39.57
-43.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ¥5.52
$1.17 R$5.92
-29.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 ¥10.08
$1.49 R$7.58
1.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 ¥2.56
$0.89 R$4.50
-57.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.58 ¥164
$29.17 R$148
-15.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 ¥9.18
$0.97 R$4.92
41.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$0.55 R$2.80
-43.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.59 ¥30.71
$3.60 R$18.25
27.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$1.30 R$6.59
0.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K ¥131.5K
$23.7K R$119.9K
-16.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.9K ¥119.3K
$33.9K R$172.0K
-47.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.01 ¥321
$54.1 R$274
-11.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.42 ¥63.0
$13.40 R$67.9
-29.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.75 ¥85.2
$17.22 R$87.3
-25.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.36 ¥183
$22.14 R$112
23.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.25 ¥75.2
$32.39 R$164
-65.27%
Cinema Ticket
$5.87 ¥39.26
$7.88 R$39.96
-25.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ¥2,494
$114 R$577
227.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ¥98.3K
$4,685 R$23.7K
213.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.03 ¥167
$45.79 R$232
-45.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.15 ¥188
$47.37 R$240
-40.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$56.0 ¥374
$76.3 R$387
-26.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.3 ¥343
$76.2 R$386
-32.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$465 ¥3,109
$469 R$2,375
-0.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$256 ¥1,712
$175 R$888
46.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$833 ¥5,570
$579 R$2,936
43.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$539 ¥3,606
$360 R$1,823
49.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,747 ¥25.1K
$1,380 R$6,995
171.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,917 ¥12.8K
$882 R$4,473
117.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chengdu
Natal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,254 ¥8,382
$411 R$2,083
205.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.38
11.67
-71.04%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 17, 2026

Last update for Natal: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chengdu
$256
Natal
$175 31.6% $81
Groceries & Markets
Chengdu
$194
Natal
$163 15.9% $31
Eating Out
Chengdu
$88
Natal
$110 24.8% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Chengdu
$72
Natal
$111 53.1% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chengdu
$70
Natal
$85 20.7% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Chengdu
$39
Natal
$38 3% $1.2
Getting Around
Chengdu
$29
Natal
$36 25.5% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $465 in Chengdu versus $469 in Natal. 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 205% 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 $23.00 in Chengdu versus $38.00 in Natal. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Chengdu vs $163 in Natal – so Natal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Chengdu
🇧🇷 Natal
🕒 Local time
22:54 10:54 PM
11:54 11:54 AM
11 h behind Chengdu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,937,757
751,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chengdu Natal 14,950 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chengdu
  • Natal

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 Natal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Chengdu and in Natal compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $749 in Chengdu, $718 in Natal – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Chengdu compared to Natal?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,123 per month in Chengdu and $1,077 in Natal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Chengdu and Natal?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Natal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Chengdu and $38.00 in Natal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Chengdu or Natal?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $749 in Chengdu and $718 in Natal. That's a gap of about 4%.
How far does $800 go in Chengdu compared to Natal?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $749 in Chengdu and $718 in Natal, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Chengdu and Natal?
It depends on your priorities. Natal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $718 in Natal to $749 in Chengdu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Chengdu and Natal?
If budget matters most, go with Natal. 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.

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