Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $741 a month against $869 in Damascus, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$869

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Damascus and in Chengdu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Damascus and in Chengdu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $869 per month in Damascus vs $741 in Chengdu, rent included.

Damascus $869
Chengdu $741

A couple spends around $1,412 per month in Damascus vs $1,204 in Chengdu, rent included.

Damascus $1,412
Chengdu $1,204

A family of three spends $1,954 per month in Damascus vs $1,667 in Chengdu, rent included.

Damascus $1,954
Chengdu $1,667

Damascus costs about 17% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Damascus and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Damascus 36% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 SYP 1,238

$2.80 ¥18.69

263.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 SYP 5,209

$22.37 ¥149

91.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 SYP 835

$4.91 ¥32.81

39.92%

Cappuccino

$3.75 SYP 455

$2.88 ¥19.26

30.21%

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

$2.21 SYP 269

$0.50 ¥3.37

342.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SYP 108

$0.28 ¥1.88

217.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SYP 249

$1.53 ¥10.19

33.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 SYP 489

$2.19 ¥14.59

84.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 SYP 128

$1.90 ¥12.71

-44.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 SYP 50.1

$1.50 ¥10.01

-72.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 SYP 184

$0.99 ¥6.61

53.54%

Eggs

$1.62 SYP 197

$1.56 ¥10.40

3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.96 SYP 482

$14.54 ¥97.1

-72.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 SYP 680

$3.66 ¥24.45

53.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 SYP 1,664

$11.19 ¥74.7

22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 SYP 129

$1.85 ¥12.38

-42.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SYP 166

$1.37 ¥9.18

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 139

$1.09 ¥7.27

5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 SYP 128

$1.16 ¥7.73

-9.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.2

$0.70 ¥4.70

12.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.5

$0.72 ¥4.83

9.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 49.16

$0.62 ¥4.16

-35.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.2

$0.54 ¥3.63

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 SYP 342

$3.72 ¥24.86

-24.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 SYP 740

$4.58 ¥30.57

32.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 SYP 128

$0.82 ¥5.48

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 SYP 345

$1.48 ¥9.85

91.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 SYP 28.02

$0.43 ¥2.87

-46.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.85 SYP 1,198

$24.50 ¥164

-59.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 124

$1.30 ¥8.69

-21.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SYP 179

$0.29 ¥1.94

410.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 SYP 938

$4.46 ¥29.81

73.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.70 SYP 450

$1.32 ¥8.80

180.30%

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

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

$19.6K ¥130.7K

-24.33%

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

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

$17.4K ¥115.9K

12.38%

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

$138 SYP 16.8K

$47.19 ¥315

193.16%

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

$9.86 SYP 1,198

$9.21 ¥61.5

7.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.41 SYP 5,518

$12.45 ¥83.1

264.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.67 SYP 3,363

$26.80 ¥179

3.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.68 SYP 1,055

$11.39 ¥76.1

-23.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 SYP 675

$6.08 ¥40.57

-8.55%

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

$66.4 SYP 8,068

$379 ¥2,531

-82.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,758 SYP 213.6K

$14.8K ¥98.9K

-88.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.98 SYP 3,522

$25.28 ¥169

14.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 SYP 4,907

$27.77 ¥185

45.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 SYP 7,215

$56.9 ¥380

4.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 SYP 7,197

$52.6 ¥351

12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 SYP 63.8K

$464 ¥3,099

13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 SYP 22.8K

$248 ¥1,657

-24.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 SYP 101.3K

$813 ¥5,429

2.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 SYP 57.3K

$533 ¥3,560

-11.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,700 SYP 206.6K

$3,762 ¥25.1K

-54.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 SYP 73.8K

$1,902 ¥12.7K

-68.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$72.9 SYP 8,855

$1,252 ¥8,356

-94.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

3.38

321.60%

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

Last update for Damascus: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$194 22.3%

Chengdu

$69 9.3% 64.4% $125

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$188 21.6%

Chengdu

$248 33.5% 32.1% $60

Eating Out

Damascus

$178 20.5%

Chengdu

$87 11.7% 51.1% $91

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$168 19.3%

Chengdu

$196 26.5% 17% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$85 9.7%

Chengdu

$73 9.9% 13.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$39 4.5%

Chengdu

$39 5.3% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Damascus

$19 2.2%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 51.1% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $525 in Damascus versus $464 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1617% higher in Chengdu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Damascus versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Groceries tell a different story – $168 in Damascus vs $196 in Chengdu – so Damascus wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

5 h ahead of Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

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Damascus Chengdu 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Damascus vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $869 in Damascus, $741 in Chengdu – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,304 per month in Damascus and $1,112 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Damascus and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $869 in Damascus and $741 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Damascus at $869. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Damascus it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chengdu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Damascus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.