Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $791 in China.

Italy $1,843
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,251 in China.

Italy $2,816
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $1,711 in China.

Italy $3,788
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 133% more expensive than in China on average.

Italy (35% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$2.98 ¥19.78

586.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$22.09 ¥147

259.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$5.20 ¥34.55

114.42%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.97 ¥19.71

-31.31%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$0.48 ¥3.18

545.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.30 ¥2.00

366.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$1.08 ¥7.17

410.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$2.28 ¥15.13

151.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.80 ¥11.94

-12.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.68 ¥11.13

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$0.92 ¥6.13

215.22%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$1.61 ¥10.72

152.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$13.38 ¥88.9

30.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$3.35 ¥22.25

274.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$11.35 ¥75.4

77.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.82 ¥12.11

41.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.31 ¥8.68

67.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.49 ¥9.88

79.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$1.27 ¥8.46

157.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.71 ¥4.73

167.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.93 ¥6.20

95.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.62 ¥4.11

153.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.56 ¥3.73

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$3.78 ¥25.12

76.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$12.13 ¥80.6

-34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$0.83 ¥5.53

113.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.68 ¥11.19

39.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.29 ¥1.91

558.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$17.83 ¥118

143.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$1.49 ¥9.88

277.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.37 ¥2.49

362.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$7.10 ¥47.17

373.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.26 ¥8.36

61.11%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

81.58%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

109.55%

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

$227 €203

$54.6 ¥363

315.23%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$8.73 ¥58.0

32.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$11.07 ¥73.5

174.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$40.77 ¥271

26.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$14.48 ¥96.2

63.67%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$6.78 ¥45.05

56.34%

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

$568 €508

$517 ¥3,433

9.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-41.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$46.53 ¥309

94.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$35.66 ¥237

8.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$77.0 ¥512

33.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$80.3 ¥533

63.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$386 ¥2,564

113.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$235 ¥1,558

175.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$822 ¥5,461

70.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$453 ¥3,011

132.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-22.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-2.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$1,093 ¥7,264

72.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.46

2.89%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

China

$235 29.6% 63.7% $412

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

China

$210 26.5% 39.6% $138

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

China

$88 11.1% 68.4% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

China

$74 9.4% 72.3% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

China

$108 13.6% 34% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

China

$54 6.9% 25.6% $19

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

China

$22 2.8% 65.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 145% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 232% more in Italy.

Public transport is 139% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

7 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Italy China 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,843 in Italy, China comes out about 57% 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 $729 in Italy 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.