Cost of Living Comparison Between China and United Kingdom Cost of Living Comparison Between China and United Kingdom

🙂 Solo nomad: China is 53.3% cheaper than United Kingdom without rent, and 67.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 54.6% cheaper than United Kingdom without rent, and 62.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
United Kingdom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.85 ¥20.46
$20.1 £14.79
-85.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.97 ¥172
$89.9 £66.2
-73.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.96 ¥35.61
$10.03 £7.38
-50.55%
Cappuccino
$3.13 ¥22.47
$4.71 £3.46
-33.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.18
$2.46 £1.81
-82.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ¥2.1
$1.69 £1.24
-82.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.95 ¥6.83
$6.59 £4.85
-85.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥15.32
$6.27 £4.62
-65.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
United Kingdom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.85 ¥13.23
$1.65 £1.22
12.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.68 ¥12.06
$1.66 £1.22
1.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.95 ¥6.81
$2.26 £1.67
-57.96%
Eggs
$1.55 ¥11.11
$4.08 £3.01
-62.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.25 ¥95.1
$9.78 £7.2
35.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.28 ¥23.52
$8.74 £6.43
-62.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.85 ¥77.8
$14.34 £10.55
-24.34%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 ¥12.66
$3.04 £2.24
-41.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥9.01
$1.67 £1.23
-24.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.5 ¥10.73
$2.9 £2.13
-48.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 ¥8.5
$3.47 £2.56
-65.71%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ¥5.4
$1.62 £1.19
-53.70%
Onion (1kg)
$0.86 ¥6.15
$1.6 £1.18
-46.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ¥4.37
$1.12 £0.82
-45.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥4.14
$1.57 £1.15
-63.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.45 ¥24.74
$20.41 £15.02
-83.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.3 ¥81.1
$10.52 £7.74
7.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥6
$2.83 £2.08
-70.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ¥12.05
$3.3 £2.43
-49.09%
🚌 Getting Around
China
United Kingdom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.4 ¥2.86
$3.33 £2.45
-87.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.83 ¥149
$94.8 £69.7
-78.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ¥9.74
$5.46 £4.02
-75.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.55
$1.55 £1.14
-77.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.8 ¥48.75
$26.83 £19.74
-74.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 ¥8.05
$2 £1.47
-44.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥137.7K
$37.7K £27.7K
-49.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.7K ¥119.8K
$41.3K £30.4K
-59.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
United Kingdom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.4 ¥369
$319 £235
-83.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.77 ¥70.1
$17.53 £12.9
-44.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.34 ¥81.3
$41.82 £30.78
-72.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
United Kingdom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.55 ¥284
$45.9 £33.78
-13.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.89 ¥107
$15.86 £11.67
-6.12%
Cinema Ticket
$6.23 ¥44.71
$13.71 £10.09
-54.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
United Kingdom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$417 ¥2,989
$1,756 £1,293
-76.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.7K ¥126.8K
$21.2K £15.6K
-16.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
United Kingdom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.65 ¥327
$90.6 £66.7
-49.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.49 ¥240
$44.44 £32.71
-24.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.8 ¥515
$101 £74.3
-28.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.9 ¥523
$103 £76
-29.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
United Kingdom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$445 ¥3,194
$1,427 £1,050
-68.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$255 ¥1,830
$1,157 £851
-77.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ¥6,566
$2,327 £1,713
-60.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$543 ¥3,895
$1,846 £1,359
-70.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,142 ¥44.1K
$6,050 £4,452
1.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,860 ¥20.5K
$4,820 £3,547
-40.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
United Kingdom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$942 ¥6,755
$3,133 £2,306
-69.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
5.75
-29.39%

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

Last update for China: October 29, 2025

Last update for United Kingdom: October 29, 2025

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