Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Germany

Name: Germany
Address: DE

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $2,056 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Germany

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in China versus $2,056 in Germany.

China $793
Germany $2,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,261 in China versus $3,129 in Germany.

China $1,261
Germany $3,129

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in China versus $4,202 in Germany.

China $1,730
Germany $4,202

Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,329 to $2,658, compared to $466–$1,244 in China. City choice carries more weight in Germany.

Living in China costs about 61% less than in Germany on average.

China (41% below) and Germany (52% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.76

$16.62 €14.79

-82.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$72.6 €64.6

-68.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.70

$12.24 €10.89

-56.37%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

$4.08 €3.63

-25.49%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$3.37 €3.00

-85.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$3.01 €2.67

-90.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.92

$4.90 €4.36

-78.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$4.38 €3.90

-48.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$1.32 €1.17

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.28

$2.11 €1.88

-19.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$3.37 €3.00

-70.33%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$3.91 €3.48

-60.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.8

$14.23 €12.66

-5.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.28

$11.79 €10.49

-70.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$20.95 €18.64

-45.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$3.18 €2.83

-43.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$2.06 €1.83

-38.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.92

$2.22 €1.98

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$4.14 €3.68

-68.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$1.46 €1.30

-50.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$1.43 €1.27

-34.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.60 €1.42

-61.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$1.06 €0.95

-45.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.65

$9.67 €8.61

-60.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ¥79.4

$5.97 €5.31

98.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.72

$1.13 €1.01

-23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.33

$1.62 €1.44

4.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$3.90 €3.47

-92.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.36 ¥150

$70.8 €62.9

-68.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$5.38 €4.78

-72.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$2.81 €2.50

-86.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.04

$38.76 €34.48

-81.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.12 €1.88

-41.51%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$32.9K €29.3K

-41.54%

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

$17.3K ¥115.6K

$37.7K €33.5K

-54.07%

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

$54.3 ¥363

$338 €301

-83.95%

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

$8.34 ¥55.7

$25.29 €22.49

-67.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$48.19 €42.86

-77.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 ¥270

$40.85 €36.34

-1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$27.91 €24.83

-47.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ¥46.08

$14.64 €13.02

-52.94%

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

$457 ¥3,057

$564 €502

-18.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ¥134.2K

$17.4K €15.4K

15.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.10 ¥302

$90.5 €80.5

-50.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 ¥238

$43.21 €38.44

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥521

$99.3 €88.3

-21.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ¥522

$127 €113

-38.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ¥2,615

$917 €816

-57.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,549

$696 €619

-66.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥5,457

$1,660 €1,476

-50.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,070

$1,310 €1,165

-64.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 ¥30.7K

$5,987 €5,326

-23.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,309 ¥15.4K

$4,049 €3,601

-42.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,084 ¥7,247

$3,321 €2,954

-67.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.96

-12.63%

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

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Last update for Germany: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.2%

Germany

$696 33.8% 200% $464

Groceries & Markets

China

$211 26.6%

Germany

$333 16.2% 57.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Germany

$162 7.9% 52.1% $56

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Germany

$278 13.5% 212% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.3%

Germany

$412 20% 461% $338

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Germany

$70 3.4% 29.5% $16

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Germany

$106 5.2% 292% $79

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $801 in Germany. Capital cities: $940 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,469 in Berlin.

National salary averages: $871 in China, $3,101 in Germany. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 169% higher in Germany.

Dining out costs 238% more in Germany.

Public transport is 288% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 256% higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇩🇪 Germany

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

84,358,845

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Germany 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Germany

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 Germany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $2,056 in Germany, there's a 159% 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 $801 in Germany 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 Germany 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; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.