Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ghana and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $991 in Ghana, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Ghana
Learn more

Ghana Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇭 Ghana

$991

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $991 in Ghana versus $791 in China.

Ghana $991
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,570 in Ghana versus $1,251 in China.

Ghana $1,570
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,148 in Ghana versus $1,711 in China.

Ghana $2,148
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Ghana: monthly costs span $3 to $1,260, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Ghana.

Living in Ghana is roughly 25% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ghana 27% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.87 GHS 79.5

$2.98 ¥19.81

130.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.92 GHS 578

$22.09 ¥147

125.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 GHS 120

$5.20 ¥34.60

98.85%

Cappuccino

$3.97 GHS 45.98

$2.97 ¥19.74

33.67%

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

$1.09 GHS 12.61

$0.48 ¥3.19

127.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 GHS 5.59

$0.30 ¥2.01

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.67 GHS 19.40

$1.08 ¥7.18

54.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 GHS 30.15

$2.28 ¥15.15

14.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.37 GHS 39.05

$1.80 ¥11.96

87.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 GHS 17.98

$1.68 ¥11.15

-7.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 GHS 34.33

$0.92 ¥6.13

221.74%

Eggs

$2.65 GHS 30.74

$1.61 ¥10.73

64.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 GHS 127

$13.38 ¥89.1

-17.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 GHS 67.9

$3.35 ¥22.28

74.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 GHS 86.8

$11.35 ¥75.5

-33.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 GHS 35.78

$1.82 ¥12.12

69.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 GHS 15.96

$1.31 ¥8.69

5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 GHS 19.26

$1.49 ¥9.89

11.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 GHS 36.79

$1.27 ¥8.47

150.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 GHS 32.65

$0.71 ¥4.73

297.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 GHS 25.69

$0.93 ¥6.21

138.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 GHS 10.52

$0.62 ¥4.12

46.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 GHS 7.31

$0.56 ¥3.74

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 GHS 25.21

$3.78 ¥25.15

-42.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.25 GHS 84.0

$12.13 ¥80.7

-40.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 GHS 16.17

$0.83 ¥5.54

68.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 GHS 29.61

$1.68 ¥11.21

52.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 GHS 14.61

$0.29 ¥1.92

334.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.42 GHS 456

$17.83 ¥119

121.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 GHS 19.09

$1.49 ¥9.89

10.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.56

$0.37 ¥2.49

240.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 GHS 41.96

$7.10 ¥47.24

-49.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 GHS 14.71

$1.26 ¥8.37

0.79%

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

$7,959 GHS 92.2K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

-59.07%

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

$20.4K GHS 236.7K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

16.58%

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

$77.7 GHS 900

$54.6 ¥363

42.41%

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

$18.87 GHS 218

$8.73 ¥58.1

116.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.54 GHS 539

$11.07 ¥73.6

320.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 GHS 696

$40.77 ¥271

47.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 GHS 208

$14.48 ¥96.4

24.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 GHS 143

$6.78 ¥45.12

81.86%

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

$409 GHS 4,731

$517 ¥3,438

-20.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K GHS 180.6K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-21.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.00 GHS 162

$46.53 ¥310

-69.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.28 GHS 212

$35.66 ¥237

-48.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.76 GHS 449

$77.0 ¥512

-49.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.88 GHS 578

$80.3 ¥534

-37.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 GHS 6,414

$386 ¥2,567

43.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 GHS 2,889

$235 ¥1,561

6.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 GHS 12.2K

$822 ¥5,469

28.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 GHS 4,935

$453 ¥3,015

-5.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,225 GHS 37.3K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-31.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,719 GHS 19.9K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-27.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$247 GHS 2,855

$1,093 ¥7,274

-77.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

28.8

3.46

732.37%

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

Last update for Ghana: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ghana

$253 25.6%

China

$210 26.5% 17.1% $43

Accommodation & Living

Ghana

$250 25.2%

China

$235 29.6% 6% $15

Eating Out

Ghana

$153 15.5%

China

$88 11.1% 42.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ghana

$143 14.4%

China

$74 9.4% 48% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Ghana

$85 8.6%

China

$54 6.9% 35.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ghana

$54 5.5%

China

$108 13.6% 98% $53

Getting Around

Ghana

$52 5.3%

China

$22 2.8% 57.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $444 in Ghana, $298 in China. Capital cities: $686 in Accra vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $340 in Ghana, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 49% higher in Ghana.

Dining out costs 114% more in Ghana.

Public transport is 89% more expensive in Ghana.

Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Ghana

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

8 h ahead of Ghana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,833,031

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 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 GHS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ghana China 11,810 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Ghana
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

Ghana vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $991 in Ghana, China comes out about 20% 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 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 $444 in Ghana 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, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.