Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monaco and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $9,177 in Monaco, rent and utilities included – about $100,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

437

Cost of Living Index in Monaco
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Monaco Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇲🇨 Monaco

$9,177

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $9,177 in Monaco versus $791 in China.

Monaco $9,177
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $11.9K in Monaco versus $1,251 in China.

Monaco $11.9K
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $14.6K in Monaco versus $1,711 in China.

Monaco $14.6K
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Monaco: monthly costs span $8,277 to $14.0K, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Monaco.

Living in Monaco is roughly 1059% more expensive than in China on average.

Monaco (574% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.72 €24.90

$2.98 ¥19.81

830.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$163 €146

$22.09 ¥147

637.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.80 €11.50

$5.20 ¥34.60

146.15%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.92

$2.97 ¥19.74

47.14%

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

$5.86 €5.27

$0.48 ¥3.19

1120.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 €6.88

$0.30 ¥2.01

2453.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.22 €9.18

$1.08 ¥7.18

846.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 €8.94

$2.28 ¥15.15

336.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.80 ¥11.96

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 €4.08

$1.68 ¥11.15

170.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 €3.27

$0.92 ¥6.13

295.65%

Eggs

$5.10 €4.58

$1.61 ¥10.73

216.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.00 €16.17

$13.38 ¥89.1

34.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 €16.63

$3.35 ¥22.28

452.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.85 €19.63

$11.35 ¥75.5

92.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.82 ¥12.12

111.54%

Banana (1kg)

$5.84 €5.25

$1.31 ¥8.69

345.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 €3.18

$1.49 ¥9.89

137.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 €5.19

$1.27 ¥8.47

354.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.56 €4.09

$0.71 ¥4.73

542.25%

Onion (1kg)

$4.80 €4.31

$0.93 ¥6.21

416.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.55 €3.19

$0.62 ¥4.12

472.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$6.70 €6.02

$0.56 ¥3.74

1096.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.19 €13.65

$3.78 ¥25.15

301.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.98

$12.13 ¥80.7

-35.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.83 ¥5.54

126.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 €3.88

$1.68 ¥11.21

157.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.06

$0.29 ¥1.92

689.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.08 €22.53

$17.83 ¥119

40.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.97

$1.49 ¥9.89

271.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.37 ¥2.49

416.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$98.7 €88.7

$7.10 ¥47.24

1290.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.26 ¥8.37

84.13%

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

$53.9K €48.4K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

177.28%

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

$51.3K €46.1K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

192.34%

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

$400 €360

$54.6 ¥363

633.87%

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

$52.9 €47.53

$8.73 ¥58.1

506.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.3 €60.4

$11.07 ¥73.6

507.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$286 €257

$40.77 ¥271

601.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$51.3 €46.12

$14.48 ¥96.4

254.56%

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 €12.82

$6.78 ¥45.12

110.47%

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

$2,678 €2,406

$517 ¥3,438

418.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K €31.6K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

77.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$200 €180

$46.53 ¥310

329.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.2 €72.9

$35.66 ¥237

127.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$193 €173

$77.0 ¥512

150.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$566 €509

$80.3 ¥534

605.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,118 €8,191

$386 ¥2,567

2263.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,827 €6,133

$235 ¥1,561

2810.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$13.5K €12.1K

$822 ¥5,469

1538.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$9,227 €8,288

$453 ¥3,015

1936.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$71.8K €64.5K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

1428.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$68.7K €61.7K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

2795.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,201 €8,265

$1,093 ¥7,274

741.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.83

3.46

-18.21%

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

Last update for Monaco: 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

Monaco

$6.8K 74.4%

China

$235 29.6% 96.6% $6.6K

Groceries & Markets

Monaco

$560 6.1%

China

$210 26.5% 62.5% $350

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monaco

$521 5.7%

China

$74 9.4% 85.7% $446

Clothing & Footwear

Monaco

$468 5.1%

China

$108 13.6% 77% $360

Eating Out

Monaco

$438 4.8%

China

$88 11.1% 79.9% $350

Sport & Entertainment

Monaco

$314 3.4%

China

$54 6.9% 82.7% $260

Getting Around

Monaco

$49 0.5%

China

$22 2.8% 54.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $5,899 in Monaco, $298 in China. Capital cities: $8,976 in Monaco vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $9,271 in Monaco, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1880% higher in Monaco.

Dining out costs 586% more in Monaco.

Public transport is 56% more expensive in Monaco.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in Monaco.

Good to know

🇲🇨 Monaco

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

04:04 4:04 AM

7 h ahead of Monaco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,350

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Monaco China 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Monaco
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

Monaco vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $9,177 in Monaco, China comes out about 91% 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 $5,899 in Monaco 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.