Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Dominican Republic and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,044 in the Dominican Republic, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in the Dominican Republic
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Dominican Republic Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,044

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Dominican Republic and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,044 in the Dominican Republic versus $791 in China.

Dominican Republic $1,044
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,664 in the Dominican Republic versus $1,251 in China.

Dominican Republic $1,664
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,284 in the Dominican Republic versus $1,711 in China.

Dominican Republic $2,284
China $1,711

The Dominican Republic ($589–$1,424) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in the Dominican Republic is roughly 32% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: the Dominican Republic 23% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.41 DOP 508

$2.98 ¥19.78

182.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.89 DOP 3,011

$22.09 ¥147

125.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 DOP 454

$5.20 ¥34.55

44.62%

Cappuccino

$2.02 DOP 122

$2.97 ¥19.71

-31.99%

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

$0.94 DOP 56.9

$0.48 ¥3.18

95.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 DOP 39.04

$0.30 ¥2.00

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 DOP 149

$1.08 ¥7.17

127.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 DOP 254

$2.28 ¥15.13

84.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 DOP 79.7

$1.80 ¥11.94

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 DOP 105

$1.68 ¥11.13

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 DOP 87.9

$0.92 ¥6.13

58.70%

Eggs

$1.80 DOP 108

$1.61 ¥10.72

11.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.59 DOP 458

$13.38 ¥88.9

-43.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 DOP 346

$3.35 ¥22.25

71.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 DOP 402

$11.35 ¥75.4

-41.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 DOP 192

$1.82 ¥12.11

74.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 DOP 53.0

$1.31 ¥8.68

-32.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 DOP 159

$1.49 ¥9.88

77.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 DOP 104

$1.27 ¥8.46

36.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 DOP 130

$0.71 ¥4.73

204.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 DOP 126

$0.93 ¥6.20

123.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 DOP 56.2

$0.62 ¥4.11

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 DOP 55.1

$0.56 ¥3.73

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 DOP 319

$3.78 ¥25.12

39.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 DOP 612

$12.13 ¥80.6

-16.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 DOP 160

$0.83 ¥5.53

218.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 DOP 185

$1.68 ¥11.19

82.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 DOP 40.39

$0.29 ¥1.91

131.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.30 DOP 1,165

$17.83 ¥118

8.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 DOP 193

$1.49 ¥9.88

114.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 DOP 129

$0.37 ¥2.49

481.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 DOP 342

$7.10 ¥47.17

-20.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 DOP 84.2

$1.26 ¥8.36

10.32%

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

$24.9K DOP 1.5M

$19.4K ¥129.2K

28.31%

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

$32.7K DOP 2.0M

$17.5K ¥116.5K

86.49%

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

$91.6 DOP 5,529

$54.6 ¥363

67.93%

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

$24.46 DOP 1,476

$8.73 ¥58.0

180.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.32 DOP 2,132

$11.07 ¥73.5

219.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.52 DOP 1,842

$40.77 ¥271

-25.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 DOP 1,346

$14.48 ¥96.2

54.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 DOP 385

$6.78 ¥45.05

-5.75%

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

$209 DOP 12.6K

$517 ¥3,433

-59.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,527 DOP 393.9K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-67.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.92 DOP 2,409

$46.53 ¥309

-14.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 DOP 2,720

$35.66 ¥237

26.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 DOP 4,896

$77.0 ¥512

5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 DOP 6,352

$80.3 ¥533

31.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 DOP 35.9K

$386 ¥2,564

54.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 DOP 19.9K

$235 ¥1,558

40.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 DOP 75.1K

$822 ¥5,461

51.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 DOP 37.8K

$453 ¥3,011

38.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,357 DOP 142.2K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-49.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,245 DOP 75.1K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-47.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$541 DOP 32.6K

$1,093 ¥7,264

-50.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.99

3.46

275.43%

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

Last update for the Dominican Republic: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dominican Republic

$330 31.6%

China

$235 29.6% 28.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Dominican Republic

$220 21.1%

China

$210 26.5% 4.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dominican Republic

$151 14.5%

China

$74 9.4% 50.9% $77

Eating Out

Dominican Republic

$141 13.5%

China

$88 11.1% 37.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Dominican Republic

$122 11.7%

China

$108 13.6% 11.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Dominican Republic

$43 4.2%

China

$54 6.9% 25.5% $11

Getting Around

Dominican Republic

$36 3.4%

China

$22 2.8% 37.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $565 in the Dominican Republic, $298 in China. Capital cities: $709 in Santo Domingo vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $478 in the Dominican Republic, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 90% higher in the Dominican Republic.

Dining out costs 95% more in the Dominican Republic.

Public transport is 78% more expensive in the Dominican Republic.

Salaries are 83% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

15:27 3:27 PM

12 h ahead of the Dominican Republic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,760,028

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

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).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dominican Republic China 13,490 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Dominican Republic
China

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

Dominican Republic vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,044 in the Dominican Republic, China comes out about 24% 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 $565 in the Dominican Republic and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.