Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,843 in Italy.

China $791
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,816 in Italy.

China $1,251
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $3,788 in Italy.

China $1,711
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in China costs about 57% less than in Italy on average.

China (42% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$20.46 €18.32

-85.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$79.5 €71.2

-72.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$11.15 €9.99

-53.36%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$2.04 €1.83

45.59%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$3.10 €2.78

-84.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.40 €1.25

-78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$5.51 €4.94

-80.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$5.74 €5.14

-60.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.57 €1.41

14.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$2.38 €2.13

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.90 €2.60

-68.28%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$4.07 €3.65

-60.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$17.44 €15.62

-23.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$12.56 €11.25

-73.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$20.17 €18.06

-43.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$2.58 €2.31

-29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$2.19 €1.96

-40.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$2.68 €2.40

-44.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$3.27 €2.93

-61.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.90 €1.70

-62.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.82 €1.63

-48.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.57 €1.40

-60.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.55 €0.49

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$6.69 €5.99

-43.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$7.99 €7.15

51.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.77 €1.59

-53.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$2.35 €2.11

-28.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.91 €1.71

-84.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$43.44 €38.90

-58.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$5.62 €5.03

-73.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.71 €1.54

-78.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$33.64 €30.12

-78.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$2.03 €1.82

-37.93%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$35.3K €31.6K

-44.93%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$36.7K €32.9K

-52.28%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$227 €203

-75.92%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$11.59 €10.38

-24.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$30.38 €27.21

-63.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$51.8 €46.37

-21.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$23.70 €21.22

-38.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$10.60 €9.50

-36.04%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$568 €508

-8.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$11.5K €10.3K

71.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$90.5 €81.1

-48.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$38.55 €34.53

-7.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$103 €91.9

-25.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$131 €117

-38.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$826 €739

-53.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$646 €579

-63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$1,400 €1,254

-41.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$1,054 €944

-57.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$3,662 €3,280

28.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$2,301 €2,061

3.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$1,886 €1,689

-42.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.56

-2.81%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Italy

$646 35.1% 176% $412

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Italy

$348 18.9% 65.6% $138

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Italy

$163 8.9% 51.5% $55

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Italy

$279 15.1% 216% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Italy

$269 14.6% 261% $194

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Italy

$73 4% 34.3% $19

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Italy

$65 3.5% 192% $43

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 145% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 232% more in Italy.

Public transport is 139% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Italy.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

58,850,717

💱 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 = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 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 Italy 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,843 in Italy, China comes out about 57% 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 $729 in Italy 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.