Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Natal and Chengdu

For one person, living costs are similar in Natal and in Chengdu: $718 and $749 a month, rent and utilities included.

35

Cost of Living Index in Natal
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Natal Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index

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Natal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$718

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Natal and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $718 per month in Natal vs $749 in Chengdu, rent included.

Natal $718
Chengdu $749

A couple spends around $1,193 per month in Natal vs $1,210 in Chengdu, rent included.

Natal $1,193
Chengdu $1,210

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Natal vs $1,672 in Chengdu, rent included.

Natal $1,668
Chengdu $1,672

Natal is about 4% cheaper than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Natal and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Natal 47% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 R$27.88

$2.86 ¥19.11

92.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.86 R$192

$22.74 ¥152

66.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 R$38.37

$4.83 ¥32.28

56.73%

Cappuccino

$2.03 R$10.31

$2.99 ¥19.99

-32.11%

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

$1.09 R$5.54

$0.48 ¥3.19

127.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.02

$0.28 ¥1.88

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 R$7.84

$1.53 ¥10.21

1.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 R$11.78

$2.23 ¥14.88

4.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.09

$1.81 ¥12.10

-33.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R$6.18

$1.54 ¥10.28

-20.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.45

$0.93 ¥6.21

16.13%

Eggs

$1.86 R$9.45

$1.55 ¥10.37

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.03 R$35.63

$14.37 ¥96.1

-51.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 R$21.32

$3.60 ¥24.05

16.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.01 R$40.60

$11.14 ¥74.5

-28.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.24

$1.82 ¥12.19

-21.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.34 ¥8.94

-28.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 R$3.96

$1.09 ¥7.30

-28.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.35

$1.19 ¥7.98

5.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.53

$0.75 ¥4.99

45.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.40

$0.68 ¥4.52

57.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 R$2.47

$0.63 ¥4.22

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.93

$0.54 ¥3.58

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.74 R$8.84

$3.77 ¥25.22

-53.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 R$39.57

$4.40 ¥29.41

77.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.92

$0.83 ¥5.52

40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 R$7.58

$1.51 ¥10.08

-1.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 R$4.50

$0.38 ¥2.56

134.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.17 R$148

$24.58 ¥164

18.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 R$4.92

$1.37 ¥9.18

-29.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 R$2.80

$0.31 ¥2.08

77.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 R$18.25

$4.59 ¥30.71

-21.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.59

$1.31 ¥8.78

-0.76%

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

$23.7K R$119.9K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

20.31%

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

$33.9K R$172.0K

$17.9K ¥119.3K

90.11%

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

$54.1 R$274

$48.01 ¥321

12.68%

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

$13.40 R$67.9

$9.42 ¥63.0

42.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.22 R$87.3

$12.75 ¥85.2

35.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.14 R$112

$27.36 ¥183

-19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.39 R$164

$11.25 ¥75.2

187.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 R$39.96

$5.87 ¥39.26

34.24%

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

$114 R$577

$373 ¥2,494

-69.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,685 R$23.7K

$14.7K ¥98.3K

-68.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.79 R$232

$25.03 ¥167

82.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 R$240

$28.15 ¥188

68.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 R$387

$56.0 ¥374

36.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.2 R$386

$51.3 ¥343

48.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 R$2,375

$465 ¥3,109

0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 R$888

$256 ¥1,712

-31.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 R$2,936

$833 ¥5,570

-30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,823

$539 ¥3,606

-33.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,380 R$6,995

$3,747 ¥25.1K

-63.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$882 R$4,473

$1,917 ¥12.8K

-53.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$411 R$2,083

$1,254 ¥8,382

-67.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

3.38

245.27%

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

Last update for Natal: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Natal

$175 24.4%

Chengdu

$256 34.2% 46.1% $81

Groceries & Markets

Natal

$163 22.7%

Chengdu

$194 25.9% 18.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Natal

$111 15.4%

Chengdu

$72 9.6% 34.7% $38

Eating Out

Natal

$110 15.4%

Chengdu

$88 11.8% 19.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Natal

$85 11.8%

Chengdu

$70 9.4% 17.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Natal

$38 5.3%

Chengdu

$39 5.2% 3.1% $1.2

Getting Around

Natal

$36 5.1%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 20.3% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Natal versus $465 in Chengdu. 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 205% higher in Chengdu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Natal versus $23.00 in Chengdu. Groceries tell a different story – $163 in Natal vs $194 in Chengdu – so Natal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Natal

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

00:23 12:23 AM

11 h ahead of Natal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

751,300

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Natal Chengdu 14,950 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Natal
Chengdu

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

Natal vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $718 in Natal, $749 in Chengdu – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,077 per month in Natal and $1,123 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Natal and $23.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $718 in Natal and $749 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 4%.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $718 in Natal and $749 in Chengdu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Natal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $718 in Natal to $749 in Chengdu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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