Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Republic of the Congo and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,657 in the Republic of the Congo, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in the Republic of the Congo
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Republic of the Congo Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,657

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,657 in the Republic of the Congo versus $791 in China.

Republic of the Congo $1,657
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,576 in the Republic of the Congo versus $1,251 in China.

Republic of the Congo $2,576
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,496 in the Republic of the Congo versus $1,711 in China.

Republic of the Congo $3,496
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,944–$1,944 in the Republic of the Congo. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in the Republic of the Congo is roughly 109% more expensive than in China on average.

The Republic of the Congo (22% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.32 FCFA 4,900

$2.98 ¥19.84

179.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.70 FCFA 22.2K

$22.09 ¥147

70.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 FCFA 2,986

$5.20 ¥34.66

-2.50%

Cappuccino

$4.09 FCFA 2,408

$2.97 ¥19.77

37.71%

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

$1.60 FCFA 943

$0.48 ¥3.19

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 FCFA 769

$0.30 ¥2.01

336.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 FCFA 3,395

$1.08 ¥7.19

433.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 FCFA 1,465

$2.28 ¥15.18

9.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 FCFA 1,527

$1.80 ¥11.98

43.89%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 FCFA 2,733

$1.68 ¥11.17

176.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 FCFA 1,852

$0.92 ¥6.14

241.30%

Eggs

$2.45 FCFA 1,442

$1.61 ¥10.75

52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 FCFA 9,499

$13.38 ¥89.2

20.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 FCFA 4,131

$3.35 ¥22.31

109.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 FCFA 7,147

$11.35 ¥75.7

6.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 FCFA 1,735

$1.82 ¥12.14

62.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 FCFA 975

$1.31 ¥8.71

26.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 FCFA 2,038

$1.49 ¥9.91

132.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 FCFA 2,402

$1.27 ¥8.49

221.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 FCFA 1,828

$0.71 ¥4.74

336.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 FCFA 1,404

$0.93 ¥6.22

155.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 FCFA 758

$0.62 ¥4.12

108.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 523

$0.56 ¥3.75

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 FCFA 2,268

$3.78 ¥25.19

1.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 FCFA 4,724

$12.13 ¥80.9

-33.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 FCFA 616

$0.83 ¥5.55

26.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 FCFA 1,015

$1.68 ¥11.23

2.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 FCFA 160

$0.29 ¥1.92

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.87 FCFA 14.1K

$17.83 ¥119

33.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 FCFA 972

$1.49 ¥9.91

10.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 FCFA 988

$0.37 ¥2.50

354.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 FCFA 4,124

$7.10 ¥47.31

-1.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 FCFA 792

$1.26 ¥8.39

6.35%

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

$29.0K FCFA 17.1M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

48.92%

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

$21.2K FCFA 12.5M

$17.5K ¥116.9K

21.07%

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

$603 FCFA 355.2K

$54.6 ¥364

1005.43%

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

$29.07 FCFA 17.1K

$8.73 ¥58.2

232.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.24 FCFA 24.9K

$11.07 ¥73.8

281.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.60 FCFA 19.8K

$40.77 ¥272

-17.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.05 FCFA 10.0K

$14.48 ¥96.5

17.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 FCFA 3,632

$6.78 ¥45.19

-9.00%

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

$53.4 FCFA 31.5K

$517 ¥3,443

-89.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥132.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.07 FCFA 27.1K

$46.53 ¥310

-0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.10 FCFA 27.7K

$35.66 ¥238

32.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 FCFA 68.2K

$77.0 ¥513

50.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 FCFA 66.8K

$80.3 ¥535

41.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 FCFA 472.3K

$386 ¥2,572

107.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 FCFA 148.4K

$235 ¥1,563

7.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,675 FCFA 1.6M

$822 ¥5,478

225.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 FCFA 583.3K

$453 ¥3,020

118.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 FCFA 2.0M

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-26.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,944 FCFA 1.7M

$2,372 ¥15.8K

24.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$374 FCFA 220.6K

$1,093 ¥7,286

-65.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.51

3.46

174.86%

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

Last update for the Republic of the Congo: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Republic of the Congo

$674 40.7%

China

$74 9.4% 89% $600

Groceries & Markets

Republic of the Congo

$328 19.8%

China

$210 26.5% 36% $118

Accommodation & Living

Republic of the Congo

$252 15.2%

China

$235 29.6% 6.9% $17

Eating Out

Republic of the Congo

$176 10.6%

China

$88 11.1% 50% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Republic of the Congo

$145 8.8%

China

$108 13.6% 25.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Republic of the Congo

$46 2.8%

China

$54 6.9% 18.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Republic of the Congo

$35 2.1%

China

$22 2.8% 36.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,149 in the Republic of the Congo, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,149 in Brazzaville vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $453 in the Republic of the Congo, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 286% higher in the Republic of the Congo.

Dining out costs 127% more in the Republic of the Congo.

Public transport is 33% more expensive in the Republic of the Congo.

Salaries are 93% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

7 h ahead of the Republic of the Congo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,142,180

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Republic of the Congo China 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Republic of the Congo
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

Republic of the Congo vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,657 in the Republic of the Congo, there’s a 109% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,149 in the Republic of the Congo 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; the Republic of the Congo may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.