Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and the Aland Islands

Name: Aland Islands
Address: AX

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,772 in the Aland Islands, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in the Aland Islands
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Aland Islands Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

🇦🇽 Aland Islands

$1,772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in the Aland Islands

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $800 in China versus $1,772 in the Aland Islands.

China $800
Aland Islands $1,772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,266 in China versus $2,597 in the Aland Islands.

China $1,266
Aland Islands $2,597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,731 in China versus $3,421 in the Aland Islands.

China $1,731
Aland Islands $3,421

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $462 to $1,256, compared to $1,772–$1,772 in the Aland Islands. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China costs about 55% less than in the Aland Islands on average.

China (41% below) and the Aland Islands (31% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.50

$15.49 €13.78

-81.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.45 ¥150

$87.9 €78.2

-74.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 ¥35.65

$11.61 €10.33

-54.09%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.34

$4.93 €4.39

-38.34%

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

$0.48 ¥3.23

$2.89 €2.57

-83.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$2.60 €2.31

-88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.12

$8.80 €7.83

-87.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$9.17 €8.15

-75.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$1.27 €1.13

37.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$3.18 €2.83

-49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$2.62 €2.33

-62.21%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.44

$3.03 €2.69

-48.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.6

$11.87 €10.56

11.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ¥22.50

$9.46 €8.42

-64.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 ¥76.2

$15.61 €13.89

-27.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$2.56 €2.27

-28.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.95 €1.73

-35.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$2.47 €2.19

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$3.90 €3.47

-67.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$1.35 €1.20

-47.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.75

$1.32 €1.18

-34.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$2.21 €1.97

-70.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$2.15 €1.91

-72.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥25.14

$10.72 €9.53

-64.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

$14.04 €12.49

-16.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$3.41 €3.04

-73.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.86

$3.00 €2.67

-46.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$2.11 €1.87

-85.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.75 ¥152

$73.5 €65.3

-69.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$7.67 €6.82

-80.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$2.77 €2.46

-86.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.66

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$2.33 €2.07

-46.35%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

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

$55.5 ¥371

$224 €199

-75.23%

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

$8.29 ¥55.4

$31.43 €27.96

-73.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.97 ¥73.3

$39.79 €35.39

-72.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 ¥270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.18

$15.71 €13.97

-56.97%

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

$465 ¥3,108

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.32 ¥310

$91.0 €80.9

-49.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 ¥243

$33.74 €30.01

7.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ¥510

$111 €98.4

-31.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 ¥527

$79.9 €71.1

-1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 ¥2,646

$645 €574

-38.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,604

$555 €494

-56.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,499

$1,018 €906

-19.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥3,116

$701 €623

-33.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,544 ¥30.4K

$2,559 €2,276

77.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 ¥15.3K

$1,440 €1,281

58.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 ¥7,188

$2,649 €2,356

-59.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.35

-20.46%

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

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Aland Islands: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30%

Aland Islands

$555 31.3% 131% $315

Groceries & Markets

China

$209 26.1%

Aland Islands

$343 19.4% 64.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Aland Islands

$142 8% 32.6% $35

Eating Out

China

$89 11.1%

Aland Islands

$302 17.1% 240% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$75 9.3%

Aland Islands

$295 16.7% 295% $220

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.7%

Aland Islands

$31 * 1.8% 41.7% $22

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Aland Islands

$103 5.8% 277% $76

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $299 in China, $655 in the Aland Islands. Capital cities: $945 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $655 in Mariehamn.

National salary averages: $870 in China, $2,682 in the Aland Islands. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 119% higher in the Aland Islands.

Dining out costs 305% more in the Aland Islands.

Public transport is 335% more expensive in the Aland Islands.

Salaries are 208% higher in the Aland Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Aland Islands.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇦🇽 Aland Islands

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

19:12 7:12 PM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

30,144

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Aland Islands 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Aland Islands

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

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

At $1,772 per month in the Aland Islands and $800 in China, there's a 121% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $655 in the Aland Islands and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the Aland Islands it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; the Aland Islands may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.