Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Cainta

For one person, living is cheaper in Cainta: $727 a month against $815 in Dongguan, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Dongguan despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cainta
Learn more

Cainta Living Index

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Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Cainta

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dongguan and in Cainta

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

A single person spends $815 per month in Dongguan vs $727 in Cainta, rent included.

Dongguan $815
Cainta $727

A couple spends around $1,295 per month in Dongguan vs $1,102 in Cainta, rent included.

Dongguan $1,295
Cainta $1,102

A family of three spends $1,775 per month in Dongguan vs $1,476 in Cainta, rent included.

Dongguan $1,775
Cainta $1,476

Dongguan costs about 12% more than Cainta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dongguan and Cainta are more affordable than the global median – Dongguan 40% lower, Cainta 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.64

$3.88 ₱244

-31.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$16.79 ₱1,057

35.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.75

$2.80 ₱177

85.71%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ¥17.44

$2.41 ₱152

8.30%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.18 ₱74.1

-59.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.33 ₱20.87

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$1.16 ₱73.1

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.88

$2.45 ₱154

-8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.69 ₱106

-5.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.93

$1.17 ₱73.6

39.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.02 ₱63.9

-4.90%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$2.31 ₱145

-31.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.14 ¥141

$5.03 ₱317

320.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ¥21.96

$3.32 ₱209

-1.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 ¥95.4

$6.72 ₱423

112.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.03

$2.24 ₱141

0.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$1.54 ₱96.9

1.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.39

$2.36 ₱148

-21.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.98

$1.06 ₱67.0

40.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$1.68 ₱106

-38.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.71 ₱108

-27.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.61 ₱38.72

-8.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$0.49 ₱31.12

18.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ¥29.79

$2.90 ₱183

53.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 ¥81.5

$8.84 ₱556

37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.98 ₱61.8

-6.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$2.06 ₱129

-14.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$0.26 ₱16.42

34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$11.35 ₱715

97.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.86

$0.74 ₱46.90

59.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.21 ₱13.20

95.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 ¥29.68

$1.96 ₱123

126.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$1.24 ₱78.4

5.65%

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

$19.3K ¥129.0K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-8.78%

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

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

-7.10%

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

$63.1 ¥422

$122 ₱7,668

-48.23%

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

$9.11 ¥60.9

$16.18 ₱1,018

-43.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.96 ¥86.7

$23.48 ₱1,478

-44.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥345

$32.87 ₱2,069

57.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.09 ¥108

$4.76 ₱300

238.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ¥50.3

$5.05 ₱318

49.11%

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

$531 ¥3,550

$131 ₱8,257

304.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.8K

$9,055 ₱570.1K

168.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.78 ¥313

$28.81 ₱1,814

62.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.30 ¥269

$19.44 ₱1,224

107.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$72.5 ₱4,562

0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.04 ¥261

$56.0 ₱3,526

-30.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,538

$262 ₱16.5K

44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 ¥1,461

$171 ₱10.8K

27.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,423

$524 ₱33.0K

26.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,884

$347 ₱21.9K

24.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,650 ¥37.8K

$2,461 ₱154.9K

129.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,075 ¥20.6K

$973 ₱61.2K

216.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$856 ¥5,725

$425 ₱26.7K

101.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

6.75

-50.37%

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cainta: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$248 30.4%

Cainta

$172 23.7% 30.5% $76

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$219 26.8%

Cainta

$171 23.6% 21.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$89 11%

Cainta

$80 10.9% 11% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$85 10.5%

Cainta

$161 22.2% 89.7% $76

Eating Out

Dongguan

$80 9.8%

Cainta

$85 11.7% 6.5% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$67 8.2%

Cainta

$43 5.9% 35.6% $24

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.3%

Cainta

$14 2% 47.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $380 in Dongguan versus $262 in Cainta. 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 102% higher in Dongguan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Dongguan versus $17.00 in Cainta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $172 – making Cainta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇵🇭 Cainta

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

322,128

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dongguan Cainta 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongguan
Cainta

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

Dongguan vs Cainta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dongguan is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,222 per month in Dongguan and $1,090 in Cainta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 97% less in Cainta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $531 per month in Dongguan and $131 in Cainta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $815 in Dongguan and $727 in Cainta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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