Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Finland and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,935 in Finland, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Finland
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Finland Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇫🇮 Finland

$1,935

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,935 in Finland versus $800 in China.

Finland $1,935
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,030 in Finland versus $1,266 in China.

Finland $3,030
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,125 in Finland versus $1,731 in China.

Finland $4,125
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in Finland: monthly costs span $981 to $2,192, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Finland.

Living in Finland is roughly 142% more expensive than in China on average.

Finland (43% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.53 €14.74

$2.92 ¥19.42

466.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 €79.3

$22.45 ¥150

296.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 €10.88

$5.33 ¥35.51

129.08%

Cappuccino

$4.81 €4.29

$3.04 ¥20.26

58.22%

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

$3.11 €2.77

$0.48 ¥3.22

547.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.30 ¥2.01

670.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 €7.59

$1.07 ¥7.09

696.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.78 €7.83

$2.26 ¥15.05

288.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.75 ¥11.65

-22.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.62 ¥10.76

67.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$0.99 ¥6.61

166.67%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.11

$1.56 ¥10.40

123.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.88

$13.25 ¥88.3

-33.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 €11.94

$3.37 ¥22.42

297.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.42 €19.98

$11.39 ¥75.9

96.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.82 ¥12.14

46.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.25 ¥8.31

68.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.55 ¥10.35

57.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 €3.85

$1.28 ¥8.52

237.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.71 ¥4.71

81.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.86 ¥5.73

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 €1.97

$0.65 ¥4.34

241.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.59 ¥3.96

216.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.30 €11.85

$3.76 ¥25.04

253.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 €12.90

$11.76 ¥78.3

23.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.18

$0.91 ¥6.08

292.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 €3.27

$1.62 ¥10.82

126.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.48 €3.10

$0.31 ¥2.09

1022.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 €62.7

$22.75 ¥152

209.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 €7.96

$1.52 ¥10.13

487.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.37 ¥2.49

272.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$66.0 €58.8

$7.28 ¥48.47

806.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.25 ¥8.35

79.20%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

92.79%

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

$37.9K €33.8K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

121.72%

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

$141 €126

$55.5 ¥370

154.03%

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

$27.22 €24.26

$8.29 ¥55.2

228.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.45 €22.69

$10.97 ¥73.1

132.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.82 €39.05

$40.38 ¥269

8.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.04 €26.77

$14.76 ¥98.3

103.52%

Cinema Ticket

$17.93 €15.98

$6.76 ¥45.01

165.24%

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

$387 €345

$465 ¥3,097

-16.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

-33.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.2 €86.6

$46.32 ¥308

109.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.09 €35.73

$36.30 ¥242

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €89.1

$76.3 ¥508

31.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$78.8 ¥525

86.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 €758

$396 ¥2,636

115.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 €627

$240 ¥1,598

193.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 €1,391

$822 ¥5,477

89.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,080

$466 ¥3,104

159.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,938 €4,401

$4,544 ¥30.3K

8.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,932 €2,613

$2,282 ¥15.2K

28.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,033 €2,704

$1,075 ¥7,160

182.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.87

3.46

11.85%

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

Last update for Finland: October 17, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Finland

$704 36.4%

China

$240 30% 65.9% $464

Groceries & Markets

Finland

$376 19.4%

China

$209 26.1% 44.5% $167

Eating Out

Finland

$308 15.9%

China

$89 11.1% 71.2% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Finland

$194 10%

China

$75 9.3% 61.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Finland

$173 8.9%

China

$107 13.4% 38.1% $66

Getting Around

Finland

$100 5.2%

China

$27 3.4% 72.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Finland

$80 4.1%

China

$54 6.7% 32.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $791 in Finland, $304 in China. Capital cities: $1,225 in Helsinki vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,891 in Finland, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 160% higher in Finland.

Dining out costs 319% more in Finland.

Public transport is 247% more expensive in Finland.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in Finland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Finland.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Finland

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

08:20 8:20 AM

6 h ahead of Finland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,608,218

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Finland China 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Finland
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

Finland vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,935 in Finland, there’s a 142% gap. 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 $791 in Finland and $304 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Finland 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: China wins on affordability; Finland may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.