Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and the Dominican Republic

Name: Dominican Republic
Address: DO

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,044 in the Dominican Republic, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
50

Cost of Living Index in the Dominican Republic
Learn more

Dominican Republic Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in the Dominican Republic

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,044 in the Dominican Republic.

China $791
Dominican Republic $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,664 in the Dominican Republic.

China $1,251
Dominican Republic $1,664

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,284 in the Dominican Republic.

China $1,711
Dominican Republic $2,284

China ($465–$1,222) and the Dominican Republic ($589–$1,424) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 24% less than in the Dominican Republic on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, the Dominican Republic 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.76

$8.41 DOP 510

-64.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$49.89 DOP 3,021

-55.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.51

$7.52 DOP 455

-30.85%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.68

$2.02 DOP 122

47.03%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.94 DOP 57.1

-48.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$0.65 DOP 39.17

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.16

$2.46 DOP 149

-56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.11

$4.21 DOP 255

-45.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.93

$1.32 DOP 80.0

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.12

$1.74 DOP 105

-3.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.46 DOP 88.2

-36.99%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.80 DOP 109

-10.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.8

$7.59 DOP 460

76.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.22

$5.73 DOP 347

-41.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.3

$6.66 DOP 403

70.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.09

$3.18 DOP 192

-42.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.67

$0.88 DOP 53.2

48.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.86

$2.64 DOP 160

-43.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.45

$1.73 DOP 105

-26.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$2.16 DOP 131

-67.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.08 DOP 126

-55.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$0.93 DOP 56.4

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.91 DOP 55.3

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.08

$5.29 DOP 320

-28.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.5

$10.14 DOP 614

19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$2.64 DOP 160

-68.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.18

$3.07 DOP 186

-45.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.67 DOP 40.52

-56.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$19.30 DOP 1,169

-7.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.87

$3.20 DOP 194

-53.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.15 DOP 130

-82.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.11

$5.66 DOP 343

25.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.35

$1.39 DOP 84.4

-9.35%

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

$19.4K ¥129.1K

$24.9K DOP 1.5M

-22.06%

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

$17.5K ¥116.4K

$32.7K DOP 2.0M

-46.38%

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

$54.6 ¥362

$91.6 DOP 5,548

-40.45%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$24.46 DOP 1,481

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$35.32 DOP 2,139

-68.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$30.52 DOP 1,848

33.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.1

$22.31 DOP 1,351

-35.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.00

$6.39 DOP 387

6.10%

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

$517 ¥3,429

$209 DOP 12.6K

147.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.5K

$6,527 DOP 395.2K

203.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$39.92 DOP 2,417

16.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$45.07 DOP 2,729

-20.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥511

$81.1 DOP 4,912

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$105 DOP 6,373

-23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,560

$595 DOP 36.0K

-35.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,557

$330 DOP 20.0K

-28.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,454

$1,245 DOP 75.4K

-33.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,007

$626 DOP 37.9K

-27.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$2,357 DOP 142.7K

99.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.7K

$1,245 DOP 75.4K

90.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,255

$541 DOP 32.7K

102.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

12.99

-73.36%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for the Dominican Republic: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Dominican Republic

$330 31.6% 40.6% $95

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Dominican Republic

$220 21.1% 4.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Dominican Republic

$122 11.7% 13.3% $14

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Dominican Republic

$141 13.5% 60.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Dominican Republic

$151 14.5% 104% $77

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Dominican Republic

$43 4.2% 20.3% $11

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Dominican Republic

$36 3.4% 60.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $565 in the Dominican Republic. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $709 in Santo Domingo.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $478 in the Dominican Republic. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 90% higher in the Dominican Republic.

Dining out costs 95% more in the Dominican Republic.

Public transport is 78% more expensive in the Dominican Republic.

Salaries are 83% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

17:01 5:01 PM

12 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

10,760,028

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.55 DOP (100 DOP = 1.65 USD). 1 EUR = 67.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Dominican Republic 13,490 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Dominican Republic

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 Dominican Republic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,044 in the Dominican Republic, China comes out about 24% cheaper. 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 $565 in the Dominican Republic and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.