Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $757 a month against $847 in Nanjing, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
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Nanjing Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index

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Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$847

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nanjing and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $847 in Nanjing versus $757 in Baguio.

Nanjing $847
Baguio $757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,337 in Nanjing versus $1,171 in Baguio.

Nanjing $1,337
Baguio $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,828 in Nanjing versus $1,585 in Baguio.

Nanjing $1,828
Baguio $1,585

Living in Nanjing is roughly 12% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanjing 37% lower, Baguio 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ¥25.76

$4.04 ₱255

-4.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.43 ¥150

$16.77 ₱1,056

33.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.55

$2.85 ₱180

65.61%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥20.85

$1.86 ₱117

67.74%

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

$0.53 ¥3.55

$0.59 ₱37.34

-10.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$0.30 ₱19.17

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$0.97 ₱61.3

55.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.57 ₱98.9

44.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ¥13.90

$1.69 ₱106

23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$1.12 ₱70.7

91.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$0.96 ₱60.5

-6.25%

Eggs

$1.31 ¥8.75

$2.03 ₱128

-35.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥71.2

$5.22 ₱329

104.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.01 ¥20.11

$3.34 ₱210

-9.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 ¥58.2

$8.04 ₱506

8.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.65

$2.31 ₱145

-11.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$1.59 ₱100

-20.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.03

$2.35 ₱148

-23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.08 ₱67.7

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.66

$1.69 ₱107

-49.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$1.76 ₱111

-48.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.62 ₱38.85

48.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.46

$0.50 ₱31.33

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.28

$2.87 ₱181

31.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.64 ¥91.2

$9.00 ₱567

51.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$0.92 ₱57.8

7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$2.02 ₱127

-25.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.25 ₱15.84

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.07 ¥201

$12.90 ₱812

133.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$0.77 ₱48.34

129.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.23 ₱14.44

65.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ¥59.1

$1.93 ₱121

357.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.75

$1.25 ₱78.7

4.80%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

-10.25%

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

$16.9K ¥112.7K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

-11.31%

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

$54.3 ¥363

$138 ₱8,682

-60.63%

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

$7.81 ¥52.2

$17.71 ₱1,115

-55.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.25 ¥48.45

$23.76 ₱1,496

-69.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.11 ¥195

$21.05 ₱1,325

38.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.83 ¥226

$5.19 ₱327

551.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.10

$5.30 ₱334

10.38%

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

$1,486 ¥9,932

$135 ₱8,486

1002.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K ¥150.0K

$10.7K ₱673.8K

109.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.38 ¥290

$28.76 ₱1,811

50.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.47 ¥231

$19.76 ₱1,244

74.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥442

$71.1 ₱4,479

-7.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 ¥576

$56.4 ₱3,551

52.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ¥3,446

$409 ₱25.8K

25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 ¥1,981

$200 ₱12.6K

48.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 ¥7,382

$836 ₱52.6K

32.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 ¥3,792

$466 ₱29.3K

21.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,121 ¥34.2K

$2,647 ₱166.7K

93.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 ¥21.2K

$930 ₱58.6K

240.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,432 ¥9,573

$182 ₱11.4K

688.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

6.75

-49.33%

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

Last update for Nanjing: October 10, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nanjing

$296 35%

Baguio

$200 26.4% 32.7% $97

Groceries & Markets

Nanjing

$204 24.1%

Baguio

$176 23.3% 13.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Nanjing

$104 12.2%

Baguio

$79 10.5% 23.5% $24

Eating Out

Nanjing

$98 11.5%

Baguio

$75 9.9% 23.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanjing

$69 8.2%

Baguio

$179 23.7% 159% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Nanjing

$41 4.8%

Baguio

$32 4.2% 22.4% $9.2

Getting Around

Nanjing

$35 4.1%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 54.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $515 in Nanjing and $409 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanjing pays 688% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22.00 in Nanjing vs $17.00 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $176 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

Same time as Nanjing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,314,685

366,358

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Nanjing Baguio 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanjing
Baguio

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

Nanjing vs Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Nanjing. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 688% higher in Nanjing, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $515 in Nanjing versus $409 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $847 per month in Nanjing versus $757 in Baguio – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 133% less than in Nanjing. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $757 in Baguio versus $847 in Nanjing, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baguio but tight or insufficient in Nanjing. The gap between the two cities makes Baguio the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nanjing and Baguio are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Nanjing. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.