Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gabon and China

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,489 in Gabon, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Gabon
China
🇬🇦 Gabon
$1,489
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$791
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,489 in Gabon versus $791 in China.

  • Gabon $1,489
  • China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in Gabon versus $1,251 in China.

  • Gabon $2,449
  • China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,409 in Gabon versus $1,711 in China.

  • Gabon $3,409
  • China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,500–$1,500 in Gabon. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Gabon is roughly 88% more expensive than in China on average.

Gabon (9% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gabon
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.70 FCFA 9,839
$2.98 ¥19.84
460.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.3 FCFA 40.8K
$22.09 ¥147
213.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.52 FCFA 9,139
$5.20 ¥34.66
198.46%
Cappuccino
$6.01 FCFA 3,541
$2.97 ¥19.77
102.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 FCFA 1,010
$0.48 ¥3.19
256.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 FCFA 812
$0.30 ¥2.01
360.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.04 FCFA 610
$1.08 ¥7.19
-3.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 FCFA 1,112
$2.28 ¥15.18
-17.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gabon
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.44 FCFA 2,027
$1.80 ¥11.98
91.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.20 FCFA 708
$1.68 ¥11.17
-28.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.82 FCFA 1,664
$0.92 ¥6.14
206.52%
Eggs
$4.37 FCFA 2,576
$1.61 ¥10.75
171.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.17 FCFA 5,991
$13.38 ¥89.2
-23.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.66 FCFA 5,102
$3.35 ¥22.31
158.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.74 FCFA 15.2K
$11.35 ¥75.7
126.78%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 FCFA 1,801
$1.82 ¥12.14
68.13%
Banana (1kg)
$3.79 FCFA 2,233
$1.31 ¥8.71
189.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.72 FCFA 2,188
$1.49 ¥9.91
149.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.46 FCFA 2,037
$1.27 ¥8.49
172.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.99 FCFA 1,763
$0.71 ¥4.74
321.13%
Onion (1kg)
$4.30 FCFA 2,532
$0.93 ¥6.22
362.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 FCFA 1,286
$0.62 ¥4.12
251.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 FCFA 980
$0.56 ¥3.75
196.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.50 FCFA 1,472
$3.78 ¥25.19
-33.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.61 FCFA 6,837
$12.13 ¥80.9
-4.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 FCFA 565
$0.83 ¥5.55
15.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 FCFA 747
$1.68 ¥11.23
-24.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Gabon
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 FCFA 210
$0.29 ¥1.92
24.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.41 FCFA 20.3K
$17.83 ¥119
92.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 FCFA 748
$1.49 ¥9.91
-14.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.73 FCFA 429
$0.37 ¥2.50
97.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.18 FCFA 10.1K
$7.10 ¥47.31
141.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 FCFA 613
$1.26 ¥8.39
-17.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K FCFA 17.2M
$19.4K ¥129.6K
50.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K FCFA 13.1M
$17.5K ¥116.9K
26.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gabon
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.7 FCFA 50.5K
$54.6 ¥364
57.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.87 FCFA 19.9K
$8.73 ¥58.2
287.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.6 FCFA 38.1K
$11.07 ¥73.8
483.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gabon
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.4 FCFA 37.3K
$40.77 ¥272
55.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.97 FCFA 15.3K
$14.48 ¥96.5
79.35%
Cinema Ticket
$4.59 FCFA 2,702
$6.78 ¥45.19
-32.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gabon
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$171 FCFA 101.0K
$517 ¥3,443
-66.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,599 FCFA 3.3M
$19.8K ¥132.0K
-71.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gabon
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.8 FCFA 50.0K
$46.53 ¥310
82.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.50 FCFA 25.0K
$35.66 ¥238
19.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$51.5 FCFA 30.4K
$77.0 ¥513
-33.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 FCFA 59.9K
$80.3 ¥535
26.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gabon
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,007 FCFA 593.1K
$386 ¥2,572
161.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$418 FCFA 246.2K
$235 ¥1,563
78.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,105 FCFA 1.2M
$822 ¥5,478
156.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$861 FCFA 506.9K
$453 ¥3,020
89.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,621 FCFA 2.1M
$4,697 ¥31.3K
-22.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,758 FCFA 1.6M
$2,372 ¥15.8K
16.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gabon
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$431 FCFA 253.7K
$1,093 ¥7,286
-60.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
3.46
232.37%

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

Last update for Gabon: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Gabon
$418
China
$235 43.9% $184
Groceries & Markets
Gabon
$373
China
$210 43.7% $163
Eating Out
Gabon
$274
China
$88 67.8% $186
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gabon
$184
China
$74 59.6% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Gabon
$126
China
$108 14.7% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Gabon
$73
China
$54 25.1% $18
Getting Around
Gabon
$41
China
$22 45.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,028 in Gabon, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,028 in Libreville vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $417 in Gabon, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 245% higher in Gabon.

Dining out costs 209% more in Gabon.

Public transport is 89% more expensive in Gabon.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know
🇬🇦 Gabon
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
12:17 12:17 PM
19:17 7:17 PM
7 h ahead of Gabon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,025,137
1,442,965,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gabon China 11,410 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gabon
  • 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
Gabon vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: China or Gabon?
At $791 per month in China and $1,489 in Gabon, there’s a 88% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: China or Gabon?
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.
How do rents compare between China and Gabon?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,028 in Gabon and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in China and in Gabon?
It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Gabon may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

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