Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Canada

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

A single person spends $791 per month in China vs $2,310 in Canada, rent included.

China $791
Canada $2,310

A couple spends around $1,251 per month in China vs $3,356 in Canada, rent included.

China $1,251
Canada $3,356

A family of three spends $1,711 per month in China vs $4,403 in Canada, rent included.

China $1,711
Canada $4,403

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in China ($465–$1,222), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in China is roughly 66% lower than in Canada on average.

China sits 42% below the global median, while Canada is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$18.16 CA$25.38

-83.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$71.2 CA$99.5

-68.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$10.81 CA$15.11

-51.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$3.78 CA$5.28

-21.43%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$2.11 CA$2.96

-77.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$1.66 CA$2.32

-81.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$5.62 CA$7.85

-80.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$5.72 CA$7.99

-60.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$2.17 CA$3.04

-17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$2.60 CA$3.64

-35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$3.65 CA$5.11

-74.79%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$3.63 CA$5.07

-55.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.0

$10.76 CA$15.04

24.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$11.90 CA$16.62

-71.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$15.42 CA$21.55

-26.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$4.03 CA$5.63

-54.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.38 CA$1.94

-5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$3.88 CA$5.41

-61.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$4.08 CA$5.70

-68.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$2.57 CA$3.59

-72.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.48 CA$3.46

-62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$2.65 CA$3.70

-76.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$1.71 CA$2.40

-67.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$14.32 CA$20.01

-73.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$13.49 CA$18.85

-10.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$2.84 CA$3.97

-70.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$3.30 CA$4.62

-49.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.55 CA$3.57

-88.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$71.9 CA$101

-75.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$3.18 CA$4.44

-53.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.54 CA$2.15

-75.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.23

$26.69 CA$37.30

-73.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$1.24 CA$1.74

1.61%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$27.9K CA$39.0K

-30.25%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$21.1K CA$29.4K

-16.76%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$147 CA$206

-62.98%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$41.80 CA$58.4

-79.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$60.2 CA$84.1

-81.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$39.01 CA$54.5

4.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$19.06 CA$26.64

-24.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$11.21 CA$15.66

-39.52%

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

$517 ¥3,437

$721 CA$1,008

-28.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$14.8K CA$20.7K

33.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$55.3 CA$77.2

-15.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$38.95 CA$54.4

-8.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$87.4 CA$122

-11.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$101 CA$142

-20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$1,290 CA$1,803

-70.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$1,130 CA$1,579

-79.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$2,036 CA$2,845

-59.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$1,731 CA$2,418

-73.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$4,769 CA$6,664

-1.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$3,730 CA$5,211

-36.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$3,070 CA$4,289

-64.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.87

-28.95%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 382% $895

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Canada

$371 16.1% 76.6% $161

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Canada

$127 5.5% 18.2% $20

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Canada

$278 12% 215% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Canada

$249 10.8% 235% $175

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Canada

$61 2.7% 13.1% $7.1

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Canada

$93 4% 316% $71

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $298 in China vs $1,250 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $933 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,434 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $873 in China vs $2,968 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 319% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 191% more in Canada.

Public transport is 267% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 3.4 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

07:54 7:54 AM

13 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

36,991,981

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Canada 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Canada

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 Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 66% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $298 in China.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in China – part of why living there is about 66% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in China, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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.