Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecuador and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $897 in Ecuador, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Ecuador
Learn more

Ecuador Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$897

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ecuador 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 Ecuador and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Ecuador versus $791 in China.

Ecuador $897
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Ecuador versus $1,251 in China.

Ecuador $1,406
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,915 in Ecuador versus $1,711 in China.

Ecuador $1,915
China $1,711

Ecuador ($558–$1,235) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Ecuador is roughly 13% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ecuador 34% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 $3.45

$2.98 ¥19.84

15.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.58 $34.58

$22.09 ¥147

56.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 $7.13

$5.20 ¥34.66

37.12%

Cappuccino

$2.67 $2.67

$2.97 ¥19.77

-10.10%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$0.48 ¥3.19

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 $0.78

$0.30 ¥2.01

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 ¥7.19

87.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.28 ¥15.18

74.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.80 ¥11.98

-40.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.68 ¥11.17

9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.92 ¥6.14

58.70%

Eggs

$2.07 $2.07

$1.61 ¥10.75

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$13.38 ¥89.2

-53.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.35 ¥22.31

60.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.71 $7.71

$11.35 ¥75.7

-32.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.82 ¥12.14

8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.31 ¥8.71

-19.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.49 ¥9.91

-11.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.27 ¥8.49

-3.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.71 ¥4.74

64.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.93 ¥6.22

7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 $0.76

$0.62 ¥4.12

22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.56 ¥3.75

92.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.78 ¥25.19

56.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$12.13 ¥80.9

-18.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.83 ¥5.55

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.68 ¥11.23

83.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.29 ¥1.92

13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.67 $20.67

$17.83 ¥119

15.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.49 ¥9.91

-0.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.37 ¥2.50

316.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.91 $9.91

$7.10 ¥47.31

39.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.26 ¥8.39

-33.33%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

17.19%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

75.82%

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

$44.22 $44.22

$54.6 ¥364

-18.95%

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

$13.37 $13.37

$8.73 ¥58.2

53.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 $28.60

$11.07 ¥73.8

158.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.52 $32.52

$40.77 ¥272

-20.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 $15.40

$14.48 ¥96.5

6.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 $6.93

$6.78 ¥45.19

2.21%

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

$391 $391

$517 ¥3,443

-24.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,017 $6,017

$19.8K ¥132.0K

-69.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$46.53 ¥310

36.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.09 $45.09

$35.66 ¥238

26.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$77.0 ¥513

36.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 $79.5

$80.3 ¥535

-0.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 $418

$386 ¥2,572

8.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 $299

$235 ¥1,563

27.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 $643

$822 ¥5,478

-21.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 $535

$453 ¥3,020

18.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,502 $1,502

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-68.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 $823

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-65.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$531 $531

$1,093 ¥7,286

-51.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.34

3.46

198.84%

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

Last update for Ecuador: 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

Ecuador

$299 33.4%

China

$235 29.6% 21.7% $65

Groceries & Markets

Ecuador

$195 21.8%

China

$210 26.5% 7.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ecuador

$132 14.7%

China

$108 13.6% 18.4% $24

Eating Out

Ecuador

$106 11.9%

China

$88 11.1% 17.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecuador

$86 9.6%

China

$74 9.4% 13.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ecuador

$46 5.2%

China

$54 6.9% 17.1% $7.9

Getting Around

Ecuador

$31 3.5%

China

$22 2.8% 28.4% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $382 in Ecuador, $298 in China. Capital cities: $548 in Quito vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $513 in Ecuador, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 28% higher in Ecuador.

Dining out costs 86% more in Ecuador.

Public transport is 22% more expensive in Ecuador.

Salaries are 70% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ecuador

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

13 h ahead of Ecuador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,938,986

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

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).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ecuador China 15,350 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ecuador
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

Ecuador vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $897 in Ecuador, there’s a 13% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $382 in Ecuador 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; Ecuador may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.