Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palau and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,976 in Palau, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Palau
Learn more

Palau Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,976

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,976 in Palau versus $800 in China.

Palau $1,976
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,045 in Palau versus $1,266 in China.

Palau $3,045
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,113 in Palau versus $1,731 in China.

Palau $4,113
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in Palau: monthly costs span $1,821 to $1,821, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Palau.

Living in Palau is roughly 147% more expensive than in China on average.

Palau (46% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 $13.36

$2.92 ¥19.50

357.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$22.45 ¥150

232.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$5.33 ¥35.65

86.87%

Cappuccino

$4.06 $4.06

$3.04 ¥20.34

33.55%

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

$1.39 $1.39

$0.48 ¥3.23

189.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.30 ¥2.02

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.07 ¥7.12

42.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.26 ¥15.11

-4.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.75 ¥11.70

52.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.62 ¥10.80

90.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.99 ¥6.63

-75.76%

Eggs

$6.48 $6.48

$1.56 ¥10.44

315.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 $9.98

$13.25 ¥88.6

-24.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$3.37 ¥22.50

311.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$11.39 ¥76.2

68.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.82 ¥12.19

186.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.25 ¥8.34

78.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.55 ¥10.39

256.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$16.48 $16.48

$1.28 ¥8.55

1187.50%

Potato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$0.71 ¥4.72

561.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$0.86 ¥5.75

294.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.65 ¥4.36

212.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.59 ¥3.97

191.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.20 $15.20

$3.76 ¥25.14

304.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.80 $22.80

$11.76 ¥78.6

93.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$0.91 ¥6.11

274.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.62 ¥10.86

110.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.75 ¥152

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.52 ¥10.17

59.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$7.28 ¥48.66

-15.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.25 ¥8.38

52.00%

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

$17.2K $17.2K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

-11.47%

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

$15.0K $15.0K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

-12.43%

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

$170 $170

$55.5 ¥371

205.69%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$8.29 ¥55.4

522.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$199 $199

$10.97 ¥73.3

1711.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 $81.3

$40.38 ¥270

101.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.18

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

$250 $250

$465 ¥3,108

-46.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 $85.4

$46.32 ¥310

84.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 $66.0

$36.30 ¥243

81.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$191 $191

$76.3 ¥510

150.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 $196

$78.8 ¥527

148.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 $719

$396 ¥2,646

81.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$519 $519

$240 ¥1,604

116.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$822 ¥5,499

156.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 $968

$466 ¥3,116

107.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,544 ¥30.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 ¥15.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$774 $774

$1,075 ¥7,188

-27.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

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

Last update for Palau: October 19, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palau

$519 26.3%

China

$240 30% 53.8% $279

Groceries & Markets

Palau

$504 25.5%

China

$209 26.1% 58.6% $296

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palau

$420 21.3%

China

$75 9.3% 82.2% $345

Clothing & Footwear

Palau

$242 12.3%

China

$107 13.4% 55.8% $135

Eating Out

Palau

$207 10.5%

China

$89 11.1% 57.1% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Palau

$81 * 4.1%

China

$54 6.7% 33.7% $27

Getting Around

Palau

$2.4 * 0.1%

China

$27 3.4% 1028% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $793 in Palau, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in Palau.

Dining out costs 252% more in Palau.

Salaries are 10% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇵🇼 Palau

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

1 h behind Palau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,729

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palau China 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Palau
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

Palau vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,976 in Palau, there's a 147% 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 $719 in Palau and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Palau 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: China wins on affordability; Palau may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.