Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Peru and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $878 in Peru, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Peru
Learn more

Peru Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇪 Peru

$878

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $878 in Peru versus $791 in China.

Peru $878
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,380 in Peru versus $1,251 in China.

Peru $1,380
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,883 in Peru versus $1,711 in China.

Peru $1,883
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Peru: monthly costs span $20 to $1,108, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Peru.

Living in Peru is roughly 11% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Peru 36% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 PEN 12.16

$2.98 ¥19.78

17.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.65 PEN 95.8

$22.09 ¥147

25.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.21 PEN 21.51

$5.20 ¥34.55

19.42%

Cappuccino

$3.15 PEN 10.92

$2.97 ¥19.71

6.06%

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

$0.96 PEN 3.31

$0.48 ¥3.18

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 PEN 1.78

$0.30 ¥2.00

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 PEN 7.90

$1.08 ¥7.17

111.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 PEN 12.33

$2.28 ¥15.13

56.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 PEN 5.09

$1.80 ¥11.94

-18.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 PEN 7.97

$1.68 ¥11.13

36.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 PEN 4.77

$0.92 ¥6.13

50.00%

Eggs

$2.63 PEN 9.12

$1.61 ¥10.72

63.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 PEN 28.71

$13.38 ¥88.9

-38.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.79

$3.35 ¥22.25

70.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 PEN 31.34

$11.35 ¥75.4

-20.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 PEN 6.15

$1.82 ¥12.11

-2.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 PEN 3.78

$1.31 ¥8.68

-16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 PEN 4.53

$1.49 ¥9.88

-12.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 PEN 4.21

$1.27 ¥8.46

-4.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$0.71 ¥4.73

25.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 PEN 2.97

$0.93 ¥6.20

-7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 PEN 2.67

$0.62 ¥4.11

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 PEN 2.92

$0.56 ¥3.73

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 PEN 19.50

$3.78 ¥25.12

48.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 PEN 26.53

$12.13 ¥80.6

-36.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 PEN 6.91

$0.83 ¥5.53

139.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 PEN 10.48

$1.68 ¥11.19

79.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 PEN 2.10

$0.29 ¥1.91

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 PEN 94.9

$17.83 ¥118

53.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 PEN 8.10

$1.49 ¥9.88

57.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 PEN 7.11

$0.37 ¥2.49

454.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.01 PEN 24.30

$7.10 ¥47.17

-1.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.69

$1.26 ¥8.36

30.16%

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

$22.1K PEN 76.7K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

13.76%

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

$27.6K PEN 95.8K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

57.65%

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

$54.9 PEN 190

$54.6 ¥363

0.62%

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

$13.37 PEN 46.33

$8.73 ¥58.0

53.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.55 PEN 88.6

$11.07 ¥73.5

130.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.24 PEN 108

$40.77 ¥271

-23.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 PEN 57.6

$14.48 ¥96.2

14.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 PEN 20.56

$6.78 ¥45.05

-12.54%

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

$207 PEN 719

$517 ¥3,433

-59.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K PEN 38.7K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-43.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.87 PEN 173

$46.53 ¥309

7.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.02 PEN 104

$35.66 ¥237

-15.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 PEN 250

$77.0 ¥512

-6.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 PEN 246

$80.3 ¥533

-11.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 PEN 1,782

$386 ¥2,564

33.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 PEN 967

$235 ¥1,558

19.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$899 PEN 3,118

$822 ¥5,461

9.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 PEN 1,856

$453 ¥3,011

18.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,247 PEN 7,787

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-52.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,310 PEN 4,542

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-44.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$575 PEN 1,993

$1,093 ¥7,264

-47.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.66

3.46

179.19%

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

Last update for Peru: October 27, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Peru

$279 31.8%

China

$235 29.6% 16% $45

Groceries & Markets

Peru

$210 23.9%

China

$210 26.5% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Peru

$109 12.4%

China

$88 11.1% 19.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Peru

$100 11.4%

China

$108 13.6% 7.3% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Peru

$94 10.7%

China

$74 9.4% 20.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Peru

$43 4.9%

China

$54 6.9% 26.1% $11

Getting Around

Peru

$42 4.8%

China

$22 2.8% 47.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $339 in Peru, $298 in China. Capital cities: $734 in Lima vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $522 in Peru, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 14% higher in Peru.

Dining out costs 23% more in Peru.

Public transport is 39% more expensive in Peru.

Salaries are 67% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Peru

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

10:45 10:45 AM

13 h ahead of Peru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,726,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.47 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Peru China 16,650 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Peru
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

Peru vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $878 in Peru, China comes out about 10% cheaper. 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 $339 in Peru and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.