Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the French Southern Territories and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in the French Southern Territories: $288 a month against $784 in China, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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🇹🇫 French Southern Territories

$288

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $288 in the French Southern Territories versus $784 in China.

French Southern Territories $288
China $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $459 in the French Southern Territories versus $1,268 in China.

French Southern Territories $459
China $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $631 in the French Southern Territories versus $1,752 in China.

French Southern Territories $631
China $1,752

Living in the French Southern Territories costs about 63% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: the French Southern Territories 79% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ¥19.42

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 ¥147

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.80

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

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

$0.52 ¥3.46

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ¥6.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.66

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.73

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.64 ¥10.98

1.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.67

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.42

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ¥74.8

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.04

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.80

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.82

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.81

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.08

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.34 €11.89

$3.79 ¥25.38

251.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.02 €9.83

$12.14 ¥81.3

-9.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.94

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 €2.13

$0.29 ¥1.93

724.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.33 ¥149

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.32

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.79

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

$19.0K ¥127.3K

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

$17.0K ¥113.9K

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

$54.1 ¥362

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

$8.42 ¥56.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 ¥71.8

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.96 €24.93

$40.72 ¥273

-31.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 ¥97.6

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 €11.82

$6.76 ¥45.22

96.15%

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

$462 ¥3,094

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,869

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-43.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €101

$45.57 ¥305

149.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 €31.42

$36.05 ¥241

-2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$75.4 ¥505

35.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €151

$79.0 ¥529

114.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,581

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,604

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 ¥5,646

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥3,088

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,590 ¥30.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 ¥15.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,052 €2,721

$1,060 ¥7,093

188.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

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

Last update for the French Southern Territories: October 4, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

French Southern Territories

–

China

$240 30.1%

Groceries & Markets

French Southern Territories

–

China

$207 26.1%

Clothing & Footwear

French Southern Territories

–

China

$106 13.4%

Eating Out

French Southern Territories

–

China

$88 11.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

French Southern Territories

–

China

$73 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

French Southern Territories

–

China

$54 6.8%

Getting Around

French Southern Territories

–

China

$27 3.4%

Good to know

🇹🇫 French Southern Territories

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

3 h ahead of the French Southern Territories

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

196

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

French Southern Territories China 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

French Southern Territories
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

French Southern Territories vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $784 per month in China and $288 in the French Southern Territories, there's a 172% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, the French Southern Territories is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In the French Southern Territories, $800 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: the French Southern Territories wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.