Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and France

Name: France
Address: FR

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,962 in France, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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 France
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France Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇫🇷 France

$1,962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in France

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,962 in France.

China $791
France $1,962

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,999 in France.

China $1,251
France $2,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $4,037 in France.

China $1,711
France $4,037

Internal cost variation is higher in France: monthly costs span $1,181 to $2,732, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in France.

Living in China costs about 60% less than in France on average.

China (42% below) and France (44% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$16.74 €15.00

-82.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$66.4 €59.5

-66.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$13.62 €12.20

-61.82%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$3.95 €3.54

-24.81%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$3.42 €3.06

-85.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$2.06 €1.85

-85.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$6.88 €6.17

-84.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$5.46 €4.90

-58.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.31 €1.18

37.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$2.03 €1.82

-17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.58 €2.31

-64.34%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$4.34 €3.89

-62.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$19.75 €17.70

-32.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$13.45 €12.05

-75.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$21.73 €19.47

-47.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$3.04 €2.72

-40.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$2.29 €2.05

-42.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$2.90 €2.60

-48.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$3.55 €3.18

-64.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$2.19 €1.96

-67.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.39 €2.15

-61.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.58 €1.42

-60.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.81 €0.73

-30.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$13.70 €12.28

-72.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$8.05 €7.22

50.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$2.66 €2.38

-68.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$3.05 €2.73

-44.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.07 €1.86

-85.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$59.6 €53.4

-70.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$5.05 €4.52

-70.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$2.09 €1.87

-82.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$36.96 €33.12

-80.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$2.11 €1.89

-40.28%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$35.2K €31.5K

-44.72%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$37.3K €33.5K

-53.02%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$220 €197

-75.16%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$19.75 €17.70

-55.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$34.36 €30.79

-67.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$35.58 €31.88

14.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$20.37 €18.25

-28.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$13.47 €12.07

-49.67%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$898 €804

-42.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$12.3K €11.0K

61.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$101 €90.8

-54.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$45.51 €40.78

-21.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$105 €94.5

-26.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$139 €124

-42.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$877 €786

-56.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$703 €630

-66.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$1,556 €1,395

-47.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$1,248 €1,118

-63.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$5,494 €4,923

-14.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$3,778 €3,386

-37.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$2,716 €2,434

-59.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.78

-8.47%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for France: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

France

$703 35.8% 200% $468

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

France

$374 19.1% 78% $164

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

France

$176 9% 63.2% $68

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

France

$289 14.8% 229% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

France

$274 14% 268% $199

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

France

$63 3.2% 15.1% $8.2

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

France

$83 4.3% 273% $61

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $810 in France. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,622 in Paris.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $2,718 in France. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 172% higher in France.

Dining out costs 191% more in France.

Public transport is 183% more expensive in France.

Salaries are about 3.1 times higher in France, and purchasing power comes out stronger in France.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇫🇷 France

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

06:53 6:53 AM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

68,373,433

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China France 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

China
France

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 France: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,962 in France, China comes out about 60% 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 $810 in France and $298 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 France 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, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.