Cost of Living Comparison Between Monaco and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Monaco and China

Name: China
Address: CN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $9,429 in Monaco versus $712 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $9,471 in Monaco versus $1,131 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,512 in Monaco versus $1,549 in China.

Living in Monaco is roughly 1224% more expensive than in China on average.

Monaco (608% above) and China (47% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in Monaco: monthly costs span $5,103 to $12.4K, compared to $533–$1,212 in China. City choice carries more weight in Monaco.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.69 €26.75

$2.77 ¥18.72

1007.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$167 €145

$24.05 ¥162

592.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.67 €11.05

$4.73 ¥31.93

167.86%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.86

$3.08 ¥20.78

43.83%

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

$5.76 €5.02

$0.44 ¥3.00

1209.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.53 €6.57

$0.29 ¥1.98

2496.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.00 €8.72

$1.01 ¥6.80

890.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.55 €8.33

$2.08 ¥14.03

359.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.81

$1.83 ¥12.39

13.66%

White Bread (500g)

$5.26 €4.58

$1.62 ¥10.94

224.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 €3.72

$0.97 ¥6.58

340.21%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.57

$1.61 ¥10.90

225.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.63 €15.37

$13.34 ¥90.1

32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.98 €16.55

$3.37 ¥22.75

463.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.88 €16.46

$10.68 ¥72.2

76.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 €4.06

$1.81 ¥12.26

156.91%

Banana (1kg)

$6.14 €5.36

$1.25 ¥8.44

391.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.78 €3.30

$1.46 ¥9.88

158.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 €4.56

$1.15 ¥7.73

354.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 €3.56

$0.73 ¥4.92

458.90%

Onion (1kg)

$4.25 €3.71

$0.89 ¥5.99

377.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.78 €3.29

$0.60 ¥4.05

530.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$6.83 €5.95

$0.53 ¥3.59

1188.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.75 €12.86

$3.39 ¥22.93

335.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 €9.33

$11.73 ¥79.3

-8.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.78

$0.77 ¥5.23

164.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 €4.39

$1.63 ¥10.98

208.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.03

$0.41 ¥2.77

468.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.19

$21.24 ¥143

19.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.91 €6.02

$1.35 ¥9.13

411.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 €1.56

$0.36 ¥2.40

397.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$104 €90.6

$6.70 ¥45.26

1450.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.11

$1.18 ¥7.98

104.24%

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

$56.7K €49.4K

$19.8K ¥133.4K

186.80%

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

$52.0K €45.4K

$16.5K ¥111.7K

214.71%

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

$348 €304

$51.7 ¥349

573.52%

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

$60.5 €52.8

$10.09 ¥68.2

499.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 €60.3

$11.38 ¥76.9

508.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$392 €341

$39.24 ¥265

897.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.20 €39.40

$14.84 ¥100

204.58%

Cinema Ticket

$13.63 €11.88

$6.30 ¥42.56

116.35%

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

$2,756 €2,402

$414 ¥2,795

566.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K €31.2K

$17.4K ¥117.6K

105.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$192 €167

$46.77 ¥316

309.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.7 €74.7

$33.08 ¥223

158.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$200 €174

$70.9 ¥479

181.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$674 €588

$74.5 ¥503

805.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,148 €6,232

$440 ¥2,972

1524.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$8,194 €7,143

$253 ¥1,707

3142.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$32.3K €28.2K

$911 ¥6,153

3449.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$7,546 €6,579

$531 ¥3,584

1322.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$64.4K €56.1K

$4,778 ¥32.3K

1247.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.7K €55.6K

$2,403 ¥16.2K

2552.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,519 €8,299

$1,058 ¥7,144

799.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.83

4.06

-30.30%

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

Last update for Monaco: July 26, 2026

Last update for China: July 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $3,621 in Monaco, $287 in China. Capital cities: $8,404 in Monaco vs $909 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $9,472 in Monaco, $857 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1162% higher in Monaco.

Dining out costs 662% more in Monaco.

Public transport is 17% more expensive in Monaco.

Salaries are 1005% higher in Monaco, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

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

Monaco vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $873 per month in China and $8,756 in Monaco, there's a 903% 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 simply cheaper in China: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Monaco is consistently higher than in China across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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