Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $1,203 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
Learn more

Turkey Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Turkey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in China versus $1,203 in Turkey.

China $793
Turkey $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,261 in China versus $1,848 in Turkey.

China $1,261
Turkey $1,848

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in China versus $2,493 in Turkey.

China $1,730
Turkey $2,493

Internal cost variation is higher in Turkey: monthly costs span $661 to $1,752, compared to $466–$1,244 in China. City choice carries more weight in Turkey.

Living in China costs about 34% less than in Turkey on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 41% lower, Turkey 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.76

$9.49 ₺470

-68.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$40.37 ₺1,999

-43.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.70

$9.38 ₺465

-43.07%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

$3.79 ₺188

-19.79%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$1.47 ₺72.8

-67.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.56 ₺27.51

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.92

$3.64 ₺180

-71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$4.61 ₺228

-50.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$1.05 ₺52.1

71.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.28

$1.01 ₺50.2

67.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$2.12 ₺105

-52.83%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$2.16 ₺107

-27.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.8

$9.43 ₺467

42.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.28

$4.65 ₺230

-25.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$20.57 ₺1,018

-44.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$1.78 ₺88.2

0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$2.06 ₺102

-38.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.92

$1.10 ₺54.7

34.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.36 ₺67.1

-3.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$0.53 ₺26.37

35.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$0.48 ₺23.76

93.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.91 ₺44.94

-32.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.64 ₺31.63

-9.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.65

$2.20 ₺109

74.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ¥79.4

$12.38 ₺613

-4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.72

$2.23 ₺111

-61.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.33

$2.99 ₺148

-43.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.78 ₺38.56

-60.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.36 ¥150

$38.13 ₺1,888

-41.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.46 ₺72.3

0.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$0.89 ₺43.95

-57.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.04

$8.15 ₺404

-13.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$1.41 ₺69.7

-12.06%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-54.41%

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

$17.3K ¥115.6K

$40.1K ₺2.0M

-56.88%

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

$54.3 ¥363

$75.0 ₺3,714

-27.62%

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

$8.34 ¥55.7

$10.76 ₺533

-22.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$15.58 ₺772

-30.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 ¥270

$56.4 ₺2,793

-28.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$20.88 ₺1,034

-29.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ¥46.08

$6.94 ₺343

-0.72%

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

$457 ¥3,057

$690 ₺34.2K

-33.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ¥134.2K

$15.7K ₺778.6K

27.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.10 ¥302

$54.1 ₺2,680

-16.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 ¥238

$42.56 ₺2,107

-16.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥521

$102 ₺5,027

-23.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ¥522

$94.0 ₺4,651

-16.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ¥2,615

$620 ₺30.7K

-36.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,549

$429 ₺21.2K

-45.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥5,457

$1,010 ₺50.0K

-19.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,070

$712 ₺35.2K

-35.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 ¥30.7K

$1,674 ₺82.9K

173.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,309 ¥15.4K

$1,139 ₺56.4K

102.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,084 ¥7,247

$1,076 ₺53.3K

0.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

41.71

-91.70%

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

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.2%

Turkey

$429 35.6% 85.1% $197

Groceries & Markets

China

$211 26.6%

Turkey

$239 19.9% 13.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Turkey

$131 10.9% 23.4% $25

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Turkey

$185 15.4% 108% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.3%

Turkey

$101 8.4% 38.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Turkey

$70 5.8% 29.7% $16

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Turkey

$47 3.9% 74.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $446 in Turkey. Capital cities: $940 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $747 in Ankara.

National salary averages: $871 in China, $1,044 in Turkey. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 50% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 62% more in Turkey.

Salaries are 20% higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

21:59 9:59 PM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

85,372,377

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Turkey 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $1,203 in Turkey, there's a 52% gap. 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 $446 in Turkey 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 Turkey 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; Turkey may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.