Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $791 in China, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
Learn more

Egypt Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Egypt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $449 in Egypt.

China $791
Egypt $449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $733 in Egypt.

China $1,251
Egypt $733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $1,017 in Egypt.

China $1,711
Egypt $1,017

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $295–$677 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China is roughly 76% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Egypt 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$3.46 E£194

-13.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$17.81 E£998

24.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$4.51 E£253

15.30%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$1.38 E£77.6

115.22%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.34 E£18.80

41.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.14 E£7.68

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.37 E£76.6

-21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$2.70 E£152

-15.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$0.79 E£44.22

127.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$0.68 E£38.15

147.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.60 E£33.41

53.33%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.18 E£65.9

36.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$3.18 E£179

320.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$3.91 E£219

-14.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$7.74 E£434

46.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$1.45 E£81.3

25.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$0.67 E£37.30

95.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.49 E£27.31

204.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$0.35 E£19.89

262.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.36 E£20.26

97.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.35 E£19.78

165.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.28 E£15.77

121.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.19 E£10.42

194.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$1.83 E£103

106.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$6.19 E£347

95.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.30 E£72.6

-36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.87 E£105

-10.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.28 E£15.72

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$7.24 E£406

146.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.37 E£20.88

302.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.26 E£14.55

42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$1.82 E£102

290.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$0.40 E£22.33

215.00%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$29.9K E£1.7M

-34.92%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$24.0K E£1.3M

-26.99%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$20.40 E£1,144

167.45%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$6.78 E£380

28.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$12.41 E£696

-10.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$17.00 E£953

139.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$6.36 E£357

127.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$2.93 E£165

131.40%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$94.2 E£5,281

448.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$2,362 E£132.4K

738.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$25.33 E£1,420

83.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$41.23 E£2,312

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$105 E£5,886

-26.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$47.95 E£2,689

67.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$140 E£7,840

175.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$88.9 E£4,983

163.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$282 E£15.8K

191.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$179 E£10.0K

153.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$683 E£38.3K

587.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$432 E£24.2K

449.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$141 E£7,914

674.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

17.11

-79.78%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Egypt

$89 19.8% 62.1% $146

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Egypt

$117 26% 44.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Egypt

$99 22% 8.3% $9

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Egypt

$72 16% 18.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Egypt

$40 8.8% 46.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Egypt

$23 5.1% 57.9% $31

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Egypt

$10 2.2% 55.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $136 in Egypt. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $203 in Cairo.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $129 in Egypt. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 119% higher in China.

Dining out costs 38% more in China.

Public transport is 157% more expensive in China.

Salaries are about 6.8 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇪🇬 Egypt

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

114,535,772

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 EGP = 1.78 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.42 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Egypt 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Egypt

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 Egypt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $449 in Egypt, Egypt comes out about 43% 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 Egypt: 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 $298 in China and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China 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: Egypt wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.