Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Philippines and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $789 a month against $883 in the Philippines, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in the Philippines outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in the Philippines
Learn more

Philippines Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇭 Philippines

$883

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $883 in the Philippines versus $789 in China.

Philippines $883
China $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,365 in the Philippines versus $1,254 in China.

Philippines $1,365
China $1,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,846 in the Philippines versus $1,720 in China.

Philippines $1,846
China $1,720

Internal cost variation is higher in the Philippines: monthly costs span $124 to $1,174, compared to $468–$1,246 in China. City choice carries more weight in the Philippines.

Living in the Philippines is roughly 12% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: the Philippines 35% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 ₱254

$3.04 ¥20.25

31.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.75 ₱1,507

$22.12 ¥147

7.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 ₱250

$5.37 ¥35.75

-26.82%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ₱146

$2.93 ¥19.54

-21.50%

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

$0.79 ₱50.0

$0.48 ¥3.21

64.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ₱27.62

$0.30 ¥2.01

46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₱84.5

$1.07 ¥7.15

24.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₱152

$2.21 ¥14.69

8.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ₱111

$1.80 ¥12.01

-2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ₱81.9

$1.62 ¥10.76

-20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.2

$0.99 ¥6.58

-6.06%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱129

$1.62 ¥10.80

25.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 ₱497

$13.44 ¥89.5

-41.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.46 ₱283

$3.46 ¥23.05

28.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 ₱460

$11.15 ¥74.2

-34.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 ₱193

$1.89 ¥12.60

61.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₱96.0

$1.31 ¥8.72

15.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱153

$1.50 ¥9.97

61.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.34 ¥8.90

23.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 ₱136

$0.72 ¥4.77

197.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$0.93 ¥6.21

148.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ₱109

$0.65 ¥4.35

163.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.58

$0.60 ¥3.98

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ₱193

$3.82 ¥25.43

-20.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 ₱460

$12.18 ¥81.1

-40.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 ₱75.1

$0.91 ¥6.04

29.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₱116

$1.65 ¥10.96

10.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.55

$0.29 ¥1.92

-20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.47 ₱854

$18.07 ¥120

-25.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₱64.5

$1.53 ¥10.22

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.96

$0.37 ¥2.46

-40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱122

$6.69 ¥44.59

-71.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱75.5

$1.28 ¥8.50

-7.03%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$19.7K ¥131.5K

8.52%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$17.5K ¥116.3K

7.77%

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

$115 ₱7,326

$55.3 ¥368

108.73%

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

$14.02 ₱889

$8.32 ¥55.4

68.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.85 ₱1,703

$11.12 ¥74.1

141.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 ₱2,233

$39.65 ¥264

-11.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.10 ₱387

$15.17 ¥101

-59.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.25 ₱397

$6.65 ¥44.27

-6.02%

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

$296 ₱18.8K

$514 ¥3,426

-42.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,773 ₱620.0K

$34.9K ¥232.5K

-72.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 ₱3,193

$45.85 ¥305

9.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.88 ₱1,642

$35.41 ¥236

-26.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 ₱4,618

$76.0 ¥506

-4.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ₱3,793

$80.0 ¥533

-25.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ₱29.1K

$380 ¥2,528

20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ₱17.7K

$232 ¥1,543

20.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 ₱67.7K

$836 ¥5,565

27.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ₱36.1K

$462 ¥3,075

23.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,174 ₱264.8K

$4,743 ¥31.6K

-12.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,305 ₱146.2K

$2,383 ¥15.9K

-3.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 ₱20.6K

$1,117 ¥7,438

-70.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.02

3.45

103.48%

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

Last update for the Philippines: October 31, 2026

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philippines

$279 31.6%

China

$232 29.4% 17% $48

Groceries & Markets

Philippines

$201 22.8%

China

$212 26.8% 5.1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philippines

$156 17.7%

China

$75 9.5% 52.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Philippines

$94 10.6%

China

$107 13.5% 13.7% $13

Eating Out

Philippines

$88 9.9%

China

$89 11.2% 1% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Philippines

$48 5.4%

China

$53 6.7% 11% $5.3

Getting Around

Philippines

$17 1.9%

China

$23 2.9% 37% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $302 in the Philippines, $298 in China. Capital cities: $533 in Manila vs $942 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $270 in the Philippines, $881 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 16% more in China.

Public transport is 38% more expensive in China.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Philippines

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as the Philippines

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,035,343

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Philippines China 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Philippines
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

Philippines vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $789 per month in China and $883 in the Philippines, China comes out about 11% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

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