Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanchang and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchang: $648 a month against $704 in Marikina, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marikina outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

32

Cost of Living Index in Nanchang
Learn more

Nanchang Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
Learn more

Marikina Living Index

Jump to prices

Nanchang

🇨🇳 China

$648

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nanchang and in Marikina

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nanchang and in Marikina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $648 per month in Nanchang vs $704 in Marikina, rent included.

Nanchang $648
Marikina $704

A couple spends around $1,058 per month in Nanchang vs $1,094 in Marikina, rent included.

Nanchang $1,058
Marikina $1,094

A family of three spends $1,467 per month in Nanchang vs $1,484 in Marikina, rent included.

Nanchang $1,467
Marikina $1,484

Nanchang is about 8% cheaper than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Nanchang and Marikina are more affordable than the global median – Nanchang 52% lower, Marikina 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.35 ¥15.70

$4.07 ₱257

-42.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.21 ¥122

$32.37 ₱2,038

-43.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 ¥32.18

$3.17 ₱199

51.74%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ¥17.29

$2.29 ₱144

13.10%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.55 ₱34.81

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.33 ₱20.92

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.01 ₱63.7

29.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.66

$2.36 ₱149

-19.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ¥13.70

$1.85 ₱117

10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 ¥16.07

$1.23 ₱77.7

95.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.64

$1.06 ₱66.5

-20.75%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.08 ₱131

-19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.6

$7.39 ₱466

79.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.95 ¥26.44

$4.20 ₱264

-5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 ¥78.7

$6.78 ₱427

73.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.29

$2.46 ₱155

-19.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.22

$2.03 ₱128

-46.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ¥12.74

$2.33 ₱146

-18.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.12

$2.30 ₱145

-21.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$2.38 ₱150

-61.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$3.48 ₱219

-67.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$1.10 ₱69.5

-44.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.70 ₱44.21

-38.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ¥20.51

$2.93 ₱184

4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 ¥83.0

$8.73 ₱550

42.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$0.98 ₱62.0

-20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$2.05 ₱129

-25.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ¥1.75

$0.50 ₱31.34

-48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.93 ¥99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$0.73 ₱46.04

69.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.23 ₱14.53

34.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 ¥48.75

$1.94 ₱122

275.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.24 ₱78.3

0.81%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$21.7K ₱1.4M

-11.90%

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

$17.9K ¥119.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-8.13%

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

$34.93 ¥234

$139 ₱8,744

-74.85%

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

$9.27 ¥62.0

$16.19 ₱1,019

-42.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.34 ¥89.2

$28.10 ₱1,769

-52.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.85 ¥287

$36.73 ₱2,312

16.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 ¥131

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 ¥42.91

$7.11 ₱448

-9.70%

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

$326 ¥2,176

$131 ₱8,250

148.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$7,456 ₱469.4K

125.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.86 ¥253

$59.9 ₱3,774

-36.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.07 ¥148

$28.37 ₱1,786

-22.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ¥585

$75.4 ₱4,745

16.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ¥405

$54.7 ₱3,442

10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,493

$180 ₱11.3K

24.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ¥791

$79.2 ₱4,986

49.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 ¥3,014

$322 ₱20.3K

39.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,718

$145 ₱9,110

77.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,008 ¥13.4K

$1,134 ₱71.4K

77.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,624 ¥10.9K

$481 ₱30.3K

237.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$745 ¥4,984

$387 ₱24.3K

92.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.75

-48.74%

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

Last update for Nanchang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Marikina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanchang

$227 35%

Marikina

$206 29.2% 9.4% $21

Accommodation & Living

Nanchang

$118 18.3%

Marikina

$79 11.3% 33.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Nanchang

$94 14.5%

Marikina

$98 14% 4.9% $4.6

Eating Out

Nanchang

$77 11.9%

Marikina

$83 11.8% 7.1% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanchang

$58 8.9%

Marikina

$183 26% 218% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Nanchang

$56 8.6%

Marikina

$51 7.2% 8.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Nanchang

$19 2.9%

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6% 79.3% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Nanchang versus $180 in Marikina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Nanchang, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Nanchang versus $32.00 in Marikina. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Nanchang vs $206 in Marikina – so Marikina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanchang

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

Same time as Nanchang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,042,566

456,059

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nanchang Marikina 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanchang
Marikina

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

Nanchang vs Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $648 in Nanchang, $704 in Marikina – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $973 per month in Nanchang and $1,056 in Marikina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $648 in Nanchang and $704 in Marikina. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $326 per month in Nanchang and $131 in Marikina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $648 in Nanchang and $704 in Marikina, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nanchang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nanchang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marikina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.