Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Name: U.S. Virgin Islands
Address: VI

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $3,888 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, rent and utilities included – about $37,200 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
188

Cost of Living Index in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Learn more

U.S. Virgin Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$3,888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in the U.S. Virgin Islands

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 U.S. Virgin Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $3,888 in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

China $791
U.S. Virgin Islands $3,888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $6,705 in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

China $1,251
U.S. Virgin Islands $6,705

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $9,522 in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

China $1,711
U.S. Virgin Islands $9,522

Internal cost variation is higher in the U.S. Virgin Islands: monthly costs span $322 to $6,072, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Living in China costs about 80% less than in the U.S. Virgin Islands on average.

China (42% below) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (186% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$24.67 $24.67

-87.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$147 $147

-84.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$12.19 $12.19

-57.34%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$7.35 $7.35

-59.59%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$3.29 $3.29

-85.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$2.65 $2.65

-88.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$6.86 $6.86

-84.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$6.80 $6.80

-66.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$2.84 $2.84

-36.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$6.53 $6.53

-74.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$16.17 $16.17

-94.31%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$8.69 $8.69

-81.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$23.69 $23.69

-43.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$25.22 $25.22

-86.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$31.69 $31.69

-64.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$13.54 $13.54

-86.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$7.71 $7.71

-83.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$11.58 $11.58

-87.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$13.65 $13.65

-90.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$4.77 $4.77

-85.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$7.61 $7.61

-87.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$5.62 $5.62

-88.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$4.69 $4.69

-88.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$6.88 $6.88

-45.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$23.33 $23.33

-48.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$2.95 $2.95

-71.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$6.46 $6.46

-73.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$6.04 $6.04

-95.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$104 $104

-82.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$20.39 $20.39

-92.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$3.06 $3.06

-87.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$50.1 $50.1

-85.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.34 $1.34

-5.97%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$50.6K $50.6K

-61.57%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$53.8K $53.8K

-67.41%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$384 $384

-85.81%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$89.3 $89.3

-90.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$86.2 $86.2

-87.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$154 $154

-73.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$11.93 $11.93

-43.17%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$1,512 $1,512

-65.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$16.5K $16.5K

20.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$81.1 $81.1

-42.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$70.1 $70.1

-49.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$123 $123

-37.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$124 $124

-35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$1,679 $1,679

-77.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$1,518 $1,518

-84.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$3,850 $3,850

-78.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$4,171 $4,171

-89.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$10.3K $10.3K

-54.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$11.0K $11.0K

-78.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$3,885 $3,885

-71.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

7.72

-55.18%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for the U.S. Virgin Islands: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

U.S. Virgin Islands

$1.5K 39.1% 547% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

U.S. Virgin Islands

$896 23.1% 327% $686

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

U.S. Virgin Islands

$179 4.6% 66.4% $72

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

U.S. Virgin Islands

$394 10.1% 347% $306

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

U.S. Virgin Islands

$560 14.4% 653% $486

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

U.S. Virgin Islands

$177 4.6% 227% $123

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

U.S. Virgin Islands

$163 4.2% 632% $141

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $1,916 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,247 in Charlotte Amalie.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $4,193 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 543% higher in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Dining out costs 500% more in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Public transport is 478% more expensive in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Salaries are about 4.8 times higher in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

20:33 8:33 PM

12 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

87,146

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China U.S. Virgin Islands 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

China
U.S. Virgin Islands

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 U.S. Virgin Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $3,888 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, China comes out about 80% 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 $1,916 in the U.S. Virgin Islands 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 U.S. Virgin Islands 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, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.