Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Finland

Name: Finland
Address: FI

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,935 in Finland, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Finland
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Finland Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Finland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $800 in China versus $1,935 in Finland.

China $800
Finland $1,935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,266 in China versus $3,030 in Finland.

China $1,266
Finland $3,030

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,731 in China versus $4,125 in Finland.

China $1,731
Finland $4,125

Internal cost variation is higher in Finland: monthly costs span $981 to $2,192, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Finland.

Living in China costs about 59% less than in Finland on average.

China (41% below) and Finland (43% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.45

$16.53 €14.76

-82.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.45 ¥150

$89.0 €79.4

-74.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 ¥35.56

$12.21 €10.90

-56.35%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.29

$4.81 €4.29

-36.80%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$3.11 €2.78

-84.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$2.31 €2.06

-87.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.10

$8.52 €7.60

-87.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.07

$8.78 €7.84

-74.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.35 €1.21

29.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$2.72 €2.43

-40.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$2.64 €2.36

-62.50%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$3.49 €3.12

-55.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.4

$8.85 €7.89

49.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ¥22.45

$13.39 €11.95

-74.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 ¥76.0

$22.42 €20.01

-49.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.16

$2.67 €2.39

-31.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$2.10 €1.87

-40.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$2.44 €2.18

-36.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$4.32 €3.86

-70.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.71

$1.29 €1.15

-44.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$1.72 €1.53

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.35

$2.22 €1.98

-70.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.87 €1.67

-68.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥25.08

$13.30 €11.87

-71.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.4

$14.47 €12.92

-18.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$3.57 €3.19

-74.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.83

$3.67 €3.27

-55.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$3.48 €3.11

-91.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.75 ¥152

$70.3 €62.8

-67.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$8.93 €7.97

-82.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$1.38 €1.24

-73.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.54

$66.0 €58.9

-88.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$2.24 €2.00

-44.20%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$37.4K €33.4K

-48.13%

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

$17.1K ¥114.2K

$37.9K €33.9K

-54.90%

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

$55.5 ¥370

$141 €126

-60.63%

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

$8.29 ¥55.3

$27.22 €24.29

-69.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.97 ¥73.2

$25.45 €22.72

-56.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 ¥269

$43.82 €39.11

-7.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.5

$30.04 €26.81

-50.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.07

$17.93 €16.00

-62.30%

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

$465 ¥3,101

$387 €345

20.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$13.1K €11.7K

49.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.32 ¥309

$97.2 €86.7

-52.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 ¥242

$40.09 €35.78

-9.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ¥509

$100.0 €89.2

-23.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 ¥526

$147 €131

-46.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 ¥2,640

$851 €759

-53.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,600

$704 €628

-65.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,485

$1,561 €1,393

-47.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥3,108

$1,211 €1,081

-61.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,544 ¥30.3K

$4,938 €4,407

-7.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 ¥15.2K

$2,932 €2,617

-22.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 ¥7,171

$3,033 €2,707

-64.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.87

-10.59%

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

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Last update for Finland: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30%

Finland

$704 36.4% 194% $464

Groceries & Markets

China

$209 26.1%

Finland

$376 19.4% 80.2% $167

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Finland

$173 8.9% 61.6% $66

Eating Out

China

$89 11.1%

Finland

$308 15.9% 247% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$75 9.3%

Finland

$194 10% 159% $119

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.7%

Finland

$80 4.1% 47.8% $26

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Finland

$100 5.2% 265% $73

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $304 in China, $791 in Finland. Capital cities: $945 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,225 in Helsinki.

National salary averages: $870 in China, $2,891 in Finland. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 160% higher in Finland.

Dining out costs 319% more in Finland.

Public transport is 247% more expensive in Finland.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in Finland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Finland.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇫🇮 Finland

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

5,608,218

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Finland 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Finland

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 Finland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,935 in Finland, there’s a 142% 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 $791 in Finland and $304 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 Finland 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; Finland may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.