Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

China $791
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

China $1,251
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

China $1,711
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in China costs about 68% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

China (42% below) and the United Kingdom (81% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.84

$21.48 £16.15

-86.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$85.7 £64.4

-74.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.66

$10.61 £7.98

-50.99%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.77

$4.91 £3.69

-39.51%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$2.66 £2.00

-81.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$1.87 £1.40

-83.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$6.63 £4.98

-83.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.18

$6.84 £5.14

-66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.98

$1.68 £1.26

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$1.72 £1.29

-2.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$2.17 £1.63

-57.60%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.75

$4.00 £3.01

-59.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.2

$9.42 £7.08

42.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.31

$9.19 £6.90

-63.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.7

$14.77 £11.10

-23.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$2.97 £2.23

-38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$1.62 £1.22

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$2.85 £2.15

-47.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.49

$3.52 £2.65

-63.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.74

$1.83 £1.38

-61.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.61 £1.21

-42.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.25 £0.94

-50.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$1.66 £1.25

-66.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.19

$23.65 £17.77

-84.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.9

$10.50 £7.89

15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.55

$2.98 £2.24

-72.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$3.51 £2.64

-52.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$3.98 £2.99

-92.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$107 £80.7

-83.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$5.18 £3.89

-71.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$2.35 £1.76

-84.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.31

$26.84 £20.17

-73.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$1.99 £1.49

-36.68%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$39.4K £29.6K

-50.71%

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

$17.5K ¥116.9K

$40.5K £30.4K

-56.68%

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

$54.6 ¥364

$327 £246

-83.32%

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

$8.73 ¥58.2

$18.21 £13.69

-52.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.8

$43.60 £32.77

-74.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥272

$42.36 £31.83

-3.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.5

$18.22 £13.69

-20.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.19

$13.85 £10.41

-51.05%

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

$517 ¥3,443

$1,868 £1,404

-72.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥132.0K

$22.6K £17.0K

-12.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$92.9 £69.8

-49.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥238

$45.92 £34.51

-22.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥513

$102 £76.4

-24.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥535

$102 £76.8

-21.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,572

$1,342 £1,009

-71.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,563

$1,073 £807

-78.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,478

$2,231 £1,677

-63.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,020

$1,742 £1,309

-73.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$5,601 £4,210

-16.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$4,265 £3,205

-44.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,286

$3,349 £2,517

-67.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.32

-34.96%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 358% $839

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 46.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 43.2% $46

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 272% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 423% $315

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 28.9% $16

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 528% $118

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 332% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 277% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 461% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 3.7 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

19:18 7:18 PM

11:18 11:18 AM

8 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China United Kingdom 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

China
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 211% gap. 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom 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; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.