Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nigeria and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living costs are similar in Nigeria and in China: $756 and $784 a month, rent and utilities included.

37

Cost of Living Index in Nigeria
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Nigeria Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇳🇬 Nigeria

$756

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Nigeria versus $784 in China.

Nigeria $756
China $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,285 in Nigeria versus $1,268 in China.

Nigeria $1,285
China $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,813 in Nigeria versus $1,752 in China.

Nigeria $1,813
China $1,752

Living in Nigeria costs about 4% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Nigeria 44% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 ₦2,443

$2.90 ¥19.39

-36.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.75 ₦40.8K

$22.02 ¥147

39.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 ₦6,079

$5.20 ¥34.74

-11.92%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ₦3,085

$3.04 ¥20.31

-23.68%

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

$0.36 ₦484

$0.52 ¥3.45

-30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₦293

$0.28 ¥1.85

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.76 ₦1,008

$1.01 ¥6.75

-24.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₦1,707

$2.19 ¥14.64

-41.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.79 ₦3,700

$1.75 ¥11.71

59.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₦1,354

$1.64 ¥10.96

-37.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ₦2,024

$0.92 ¥6.12

65.22%

Eggs

$1.62 ₦2,159

$1.59 ¥10.66

1.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.91 ₦7,856

$12.99 ¥86.8

-54.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 ₦5,683

$3.35 ¥22.38

27.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.86 ₦5,125

$11.18 ¥74.7

-65.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ₦3,180

$1.80 ¥12.02

32.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 ₦1,791

$1.31 ¥8.78

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₦1,683

$1.47 ¥9.80

-13.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ₦2,131

$1.32 ¥8.79

21.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ₦2,155

$0.76 ¥5.07

113.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ₦1,825

$0.92 ¥6.15

48.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₦823

$0.59 ¥3.94

5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₦481

$0.54 ¥3.63

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.77 ₦1,023

$3.79 ¥25.34

-79.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.91 ₦5,199

$12.14 ¥81.1

-67.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₦901

$0.82 ¥5.48

-17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₦1,087

$1.63 ¥10.92

-49.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 ₦489

$0.29 ¥1.93

27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.10 ₦20.1K

$22.33 ¥149

-32.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₦813

$1.53 ¥10.24

-60.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ₦1,442

$0.35 ¥2.31

211.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₦2,931

$7.00 ¥46.79

-68.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 ₦815

$1.31 ¥8.77

-53.44%

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

$11.5K ₦15.3M

$19.0K ¥127.1K

-39.29%

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

$16.6K ₦22.0M

$17.0K ¥113.7K

-2.50%

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

$70.7 ₦93.8K

$54.1 ¥362

30.52%

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

$5.14 ₦6,827

$8.42 ¥56.3

-38.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 ₦29.8K

$10.72 ¥71.6

109.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.13 ₦26.7K

$40.72 ¥272

-50.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.84 ₦9,083

$14.58 ¥97.4

-53.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.67 ₦6,208

$6.76 ¥45.15

-30.92%

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

$63.6 ₦84.5K

$462 ¥3,089

-86.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,258 ₦5.7M

$19.6K ¥131.0K

-78.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.90 ₦17.1K

$45.57 ¥305

-71.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.86 ₦26.4K

$36.05 ¥241

-44.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.48 ₦47.1K

$75.4 ¥504

-52.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.69 ₦48.7K

$79.0 ¥528

-53.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₦659.2K

$386 ¥2,577

28.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ₦433.9K

$240 ¥1,601

36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 ₦2.0M

$843 ¥5,637

77.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$840 ₦1.1M

$461 ¥3,083

82.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,614 ₦3.5M

$4,590 ¥30.7K

-43.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,182 ₦1.6M

$2,279 ¥15.2K

-48.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$92.2 ₦122.5K

$1,060 ¥7,082

-91.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.83

3.46

415.32%

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

Last update for Nigeria: October 5, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nigeria

$327 43.5%

China

$240 30.1% 26.7% $87

Groceries & Markets

Nigeria

$162 21.5%

China

$207 26.1% 28.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nigeria

$98 13.1%

China

$73 9.2% 25.4% $25

Eating Out

Nigeria

$65 8.7%

China

$88 11.1% 35.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Nigeria

$47 6.3%

China

$106 13.4% 125% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Nigeria

$29 3.9%

China

$54 6.8% 84% $25

Getting Around

Nigeria

$23 3%

China

$27 3.4% 18.3% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $277 in Nigeria, $297 in China. Capital cities: $591 in Abuja vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $76.0 in Nigeria, $868 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 7% higher in China.

Dining out costs 10% more in Nigeria.

Public transport is 183% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 1042% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Nigeria

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

18:32 6:32 PM

7 h ahead of Nigeria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,400,708

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.72 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,328 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.72 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

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Nigeria China 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Nigeria vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $784 per month in China and $756 in Nigeria, there's a 4% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $297 in China and $277 in Nigeria. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Nigeria, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in China 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: Nigeria wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.