Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Ghana

Name: Ghana
Address: GH

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $991 in Ghana, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ghana
Learn more

Ghana Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇬🇭 Ghana

$991

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Ghana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $991 in Ghana.

China $791
Ghana $991

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,570 in Ghana.

China $1,251
Ghana $1,570

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,148 in Ghana.

China $1,711
Ghana $2,148

Internal cost variation is higher in Ghana: monthly costs span $3 to $1,260, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Ghana.

Living in China costs about 20% less than in Ghana on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Ghana 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$6.87 GHS 79.9

-56.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$49.92 GHS 581

-55.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$10.34 GHS 120

-49.71%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$3.97 GHS 46.22

-25.19%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.09 GHS 12.67

-55.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.48 GHS 5.61

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.67 GHS 19.50

-35.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$2.60 GHS 30.30

-12.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$3.37 GHS 39.25

-46.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$1.55 GHS 18.08

8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.96 GHS 34.50

-68.92%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$2.65 GHS 30.90

-39.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$10.98 GHS 128

21.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$5.86 GHS 68.2

-42.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$7.50 GHS 87.3

51.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$3.09 GHS 35.97

-41.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.38 GHS 16.05

-5.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.66 GHS 19.36

-10.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$3.18 GHS 36.98

-60.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$2.82 GHS 32.82

-74.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.22 GHS 25.82

-58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.91 GHS 10.58

-31.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.63 GHS 7.34

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$2.18 GHS 25.34

73.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.8

$7.25 GHS 84.4

67.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.40 GHS 16.26

-40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$2.56 GHS 29.76

-34.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.26 GHS 14.69

-76.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$39.42 GHS 459

-54.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.65 GHS 19.19

-9.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.26 GHS 14.63

-70.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$3.62 GHS 42.18

96.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$1.27 GHS 14.79

-0.79%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$7,959 GHS 92.6K

144.31%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$20.4K GHS 238.0K

-14.22%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$77.7 GHS 904

-29.78%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$18.87 GHS 220

-53.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.7

$46.54 GHS 542

-76.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$60.1 GHS 700

-32.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$17.97 GHS 209

-19.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$12.33 GHS 144

-45.01%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$409 GHS 4,755

26.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$15.6K GHS 181.6K

27.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$14.00 GHS 163

232.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$18.28 GHS 213

95.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$38.76 GHS 451

98.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$49.88 GHS 581

60.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$554 GHS 6,447

-30.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$250 GHS 2,904

-6.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$1,055 GHS 12.3K

-22.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$426 GHS 4,961

6.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$3,225 GHS 37.5K

45.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,719 GHS 20.0K

37.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,275

$247 GHS 2,870

343.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

28.8

-87.99%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ghana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Ghana

$250 25.2% 6.4% $15

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Ghana

$253 25.6% 20.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Ghana

$54 5.5% 49.5% $53

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Ghana

$153 15.5% 74.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Ghana

$143 14.4% 92.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Ghana

$85 8.6% 56.1% $30

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Ghana

$52 5.3% 135% $30

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $444 in Ghana. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $686 in Accra.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $340 in Ghana. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 49% higher in Ghana.

Dining out costs 114% more in Ghana.

Public transport is 89% more expensive in Ghana.

Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇬🇭 Ghana

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

8 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

32,833,031

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 GHS = 8.59 USD

100 GHS = 7.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, 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 = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 11.64 GHS (100 GHS = 8.59 USD). 1 EUR = 12.99 GHS (100 GHS = 7.7 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Ghana 11,810 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Ghana

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 Ghana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $991 in Ghana, China comes out about 20% 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 $444 in Ghana and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.