Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and the French Southern Territories

Name: French Southern Territories
Address: TF

For one person, living is cheaper in the French Southern Territories: $288 a month against $784 in China, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

🇹🇫 French Southern Territories

$288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in the French Southern Territories

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 French Southern Territories actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in China versus $288 in the French Southern Territories.

China $784
French Southern Territories $288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,268 in China versus $459 in the French Southern Territories.

China $1,268
French Southern Territories $459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,752 in China versus $631 in the French Southern Territories.

China $1,752
French Southern Territories $631

Living in China is roughly 172% more expensive than in the French Southern Territories on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, the French Southern Territories 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ¥19.42

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 ¥147

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.80

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

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

$0.52 ¥3.46

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ¥6.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.66

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.73

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.98

$1.66 €1.48

-1.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.67

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.42

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ¥74.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.04

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.80

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.82

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.81

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.08

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.38

$13.34 €11.89

-71.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 ¥81.3

$11.02 €9.83

10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.94

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$2.39 €2.13

-87.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.33 ¥149

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.79

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

$19.0K ¥127.3K

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

$17.0K ¥113.9K

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

$54.1 ¥362

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

$8.42 ¥56.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 ¥71.8

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.72 ¥273

$27.96 €24.93

45.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 ¥97.6

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.22

$13.26 €11.82

-49.02%

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

$462 ¥3,094

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$11.1K €9,869

77.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 ¥305

$114 €101

-59.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥241

$35.24 €31.42

2.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥505

$102 €90.8

-25.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥529

$170 €151

-53.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,581

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,604

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 ¥5,646

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥3,088

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,590 ¥30.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 ¥15.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 ¥7,093

$3,052 €2,721

-65.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for the French Southern Territories: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30.1%

French Southern Territories

–

Groceries & Markets

China

$207 26.1%

French Southern Territories

–

Clothing & Footwear

China

$106 13.4%

French Southern Territories

–

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

French Southern Territories

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.2%

French Southern Territories

–

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

French Southern Territories

–

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

French Southern Territories

–

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇹🇫 French Southern Territories

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

3 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

196

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

China French Southern Territories 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

China
French Southern Territories

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

China vs French Southern Territories: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $784 per month in China and $288 in the French Southern Territories, there's a 172% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, the French Southern Territories is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In the French Southern Territories, $800 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: the French Southern Territories wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.