Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Syria

Name: Syria
Address: SY

For one person, living is cheaper in Syria: $641 a month against $791 in China, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Syria
Learn more

Syria Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇸🇾 Syria

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Syria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $641 in Syria.

China $791
Syria $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,036 in Syria.

China $1,251
Syria $1,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $1,431 in Syria.

China $1,711
Syria $1,431

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $384–$870 in Syria. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China is roughly 23% more expensive than in Syria on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Syria 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$6.99 SYP 850

-57.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$30.44 SYP 3,699

-27.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$5.84 SYP 709

-10.96%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$1.66 SYP 202

78.92%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.53 SYP 185

-68.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.66 SYP 80.6

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.97 SYP 240

-45.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$2.97 SYP 361

-23.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$0.88 SYP 107

104.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$0.54 SYP 65.8

211.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.35 SYP 164

-31.85%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.61 SYP 196

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$4.46 SYP 541

200.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$5.60 SYP 680

-40.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$12.54 SYP 1,524

-9.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$0.92 SYP 112

97.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.43 SYP 174

-8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.88 SYP 107

69.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$0.74 SYP 89.9

71.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.64 SYP 77.7

10.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.80 SYP 96.8

16.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.44 SYP 53.6

40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.67 SYP 81.7

-16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$2.80 SYP 340

35.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.8

$4.93 SYP 599

146.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.18 SYP 143

-29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$2.53 SYP 308

-33.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.20 SYP 24.44

45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$9.86 SYP 1,198

80.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.97 SYP 118

53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.47 SYP 179

-74.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$6.02 SYP 732

17.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$2.02 SYP 245

-37.62%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$15.2K SYP 1.8M

27.90%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$20.1K SYP 2.4M

-12.88%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$86.9 SYP 10.6K

-37.21%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$9.33 SYP 1,134

-6.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.7

$27.75 SYP 3,372

-60.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$15.90 SYP 1,933

156.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$9.29 SYP 1,129

55.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$4.93 SYP 599

37.53%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$58.6 SYP 7,115

782.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$1,322 SYP 160.7K

1398.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$23.29 SYP 2,830

99.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$29.10 SYP 3,537

22.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$52.1 SYP 6,334

47.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$40.81 SYP 4,960

96.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$278 SYP 33.8K

38.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$130 SYP 15.8K

80.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$548 SYP 66.6K

50.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$291 SYP 35.3K

55.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$1,363 SYP 165.6K

244.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$556 SYP 67.5K

326.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,275

$71.6 SYP 8,695

1427.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

13.83

-74.98%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Syria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Syria

$130 20.2% 44.7% $105

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Syria

$160 24.9% 24% $50

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Syria

$65 10.2% 39.3% $42

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Syria

$118 18.4% 33.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Syria

$124 19.3% 66.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Syria

$26 4% 52.6% $29

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Syria

$19 3% 15% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $187 in Syria. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $516 in Damascus.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $65 in Syria. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 59% higher in China.

Dining out costs 68% more in Syria.

Public transport is 100% more expensive in China.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇸🇾 Syria

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

23,865,423

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Syria 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Syria

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 Syria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $641 in Syria, Syria comes out about 19% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $298 in China and $187 in Syria. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Syria, $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: Syria wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.