Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Greece

Name: Greece
Address: GR

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,530 in Greece, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Greece
Learn more

Greece Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Greece

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,530 in Greece.

China $791
Greece $1,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,338 in Greece.

China $1,251
Greece $2,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $3,146 in Greece.

China $1,711
Greece $3,146

Internal cost variation is higher in Greece: monthly costs span $1,037 to $2,142, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Greece.

Living in China costs about 48% less than in Greece on average.

China (42% below) and Greece (12% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$16.48 €14.76

-81.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$55.5 €49.69

-60.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$11.00 €9.85

-52.73%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$3.89 €3.49

-23.65%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$2.46 €2.21

-80.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.63 €0.56

-52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$5.74 €5.14

-81.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$5.61 €5.02

-59.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.75 €1.56

2.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$1.42 €1.27

18.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.57 €2.31

-64.20%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$4.54 €4.07

-64.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.0

$13.68 €12.25

-2.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$10.28 €9.21

-67.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$15.57 €13.95

-27.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$2.20 €1.97

-17.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.96 €1.76

-33.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.49 €1.33

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$2.09 €1.88

-39.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.20 €1.07

-40.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.14 €1.02

-18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.07 €0.96

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.83 €0.75

-32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$5.46 €4.89

-30.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$9.01 €8.07

34.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.97 €1.76

-57.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$2.73 €2.45

-38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.37 €1.23

-78.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$33.37 €29.88

-46.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$4.49 €4.02

-66.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.09 €0.98

-66.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.23

$16.48 €14.76

-56.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$2.22 €1.99

-43.24%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$28.1K €25.2K

-30.77%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$26.3K €23.6K

-33.35%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$209 €187

-73.87%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$24.10 €21.58

-63.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$31.62 €28.32

-64.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$47.95 €42.95

-14.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$22.90 €20.51

-36.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$10.07 €9.01

-32.67%

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

$517 ¥3,437

$435 €390

18.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$9,696 €8,683

104.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$86.6 €77.6

-46.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$40.65 €36.41

-12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$96.2 €86.2

-19.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$116 €104

-30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$558 €500

-30.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$440 €394

-46.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$944 €845

-12.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$765 €685

-40.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$3,088 €2,765

52.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$2,368 €2,121

0.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$1,109 €994

-1.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.54

-23.79%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Greece: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Greece

$440 28.8% 87.7% $206

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Greece

$292 19.1% 39% $82

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Greece

$153 10% 41.9% $45

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Greece

$264 17.2% 200% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Greece

$265 17.3% 256% $190

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Greece

$68 4.5% 25.3% $14

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Greece

$49 3.2% 118% $26

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $507 in Greece. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $740 in Athens.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $1,079 in Greece. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 70% higher in Greece.

Dining out costs 136% more in Greece.

Public transport is 172% more expensive in Greece.

Salaries are 24% higher in Greece, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇬🇷 Greece

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

23:01 11:01 PM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

10,482,487

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

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

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Greece 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Greece

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 Greece: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,530 in Greece, China comes out about 48% 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 $507 in Greece 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.