Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $791 in China, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
Learn more

Egypt Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Egypt versus $791 in China.

Egypt $449
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $733 in Egypt versus $1,251 in China.

Egypt $733
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,017 in Egypt versus $1,711 in China.

Egypt $1,017
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $295–$677 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Egypt costs about 43% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 67% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 E£194

$2.98 ¥19.81

16.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 E£998

$22.09 ¥147

-19.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 E£253

$5.20 ¥34.60

-13.27%

Cappuccino

$1.38 E£77.6

$2.97 ¥19.74

-53.54%

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

$0.34 E£18.80

$0.48 ¥3.19

-29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.68

$0.30 ¥2.01

-53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 E£76.6

$1.08 ¥7.18

26.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 E£152

$2.28 ¥15.15

18.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£44.22

$1.80 ¥11.96

-56.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£38.15

$1.68 ¥11.15

-59.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£33.41

$0.92 ¥6.13

-34.78%

Eggs

$1.18 E£65.9

$1.61 ¥10.73

-26.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.18 E£179

$13.38 ¥89.1

-76.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 E£219

$3.35 ¥22.28

16.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 E£434

$11.35 ¥75.5

-31.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£81.3

$1.82 ¥12.12

-20.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 E£37.30

$1.31 ¥8.69

-48.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£27.31

$1.49 ¥9.89

-67.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.89

$1.27 ¥8.47

-72.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 E£20.26

$0.71 ¥4.73

-49.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.78

$0.93 ¥6.21

-62.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 E£15.77

$0.62 ¥4.12

-54.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.42

$0.56 ¥3.74

-66.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 E£103

$3.78 ¥25.15

-51.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 E£347

$12.13 ¥80.7

-48.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 E£72.6

$0.83 ¥5.54

56.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 E£105

$1.68 ¥11.21

11.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 E£15.72

$0.29 ¥1.92

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.24 E£406

$17.83 ¥119

-59.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.88

$1.49 ¥9.89

-75.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 E£14.55

$0.37 ¥2.49

-29.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 E£102

$7.10 ¥47.24

-74.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.33

$1.26 ¥8.37

-68.25%

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

$29.9K E£1.7M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

53.65%

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

$24.0K E£1.3M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

36.96%

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

$20.40 E£1,144

$54.6 ¥363

-62.61%

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

$6.78 E£380

$8.73 ¥58.1

-22.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.41 E£696

$11.07 ¥73.6

12.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.00 E£953

$40.77 ¥271

-58.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 E£357

$14.48 ¥96.4

-56.08%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 E£165

$6.78 ¥45.12

-56.78%

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

$94.2 E£5,281

$517 ¥3,438

-81.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,362 E£132.4K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-88.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.33 E£1,420

$46.53 ¥310

-45.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.23 E£2,312

$35.66 ¥237

15.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 E£5,886

$77.0 ¥512

36.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.95 E£2,689

$80.3 ¥534

-40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 E£7,840

$386 ¥2,567

-63.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 E£4,983

$235 ¥1,561

-62.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 E£15.8K

$822 ¥5,469

-65.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 E£10.0K

$453 ¥3,015

-60.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$683 E£38.3K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-85.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$432 E£24.2K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-81.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$141 E£7,914

$1,093 ¥7,274

-87.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.11

3.46

394.51%

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

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Egypt

$117 26%

China

$210 26.5% 79.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Egypt

$99 22%

China

$108 13.6% 9.1% $9

Accommodation & Living

Egypt

$89 19.8%

China

$235 29.6% 164% $146

Eating Out

Egypt

$72 16%

China

$88 11.1% 22.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Egypt

$40 8.8%

China

$74 9.4% 87.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Egypt

$23 5.1%

China

$54 6.9% 138% $31

Getting Around

Egypt

$10 2.2%

China

$22 2.8% 123% $12

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $136 in Egypt, $298 in China. Capital cities: $203 in Cairo vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $129 in Egypt, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 119% higher in China.

Dining out costs 38% more in China.

Public transport is 157% more expensive in China.

Salaries are about 6.8 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Egypt

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

5 h ahead of Egypt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,535,772

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.78 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.42 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Egypt China 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Egypt
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

Egypt vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $449 in Egypt, Egypt comes out about 43% 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 Egypt: 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 $298 in China and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China 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: Egypt wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.