Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reunion and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,867 in Reunion, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Reunion
Learn more

Reunion Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,867

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,867 in Reunion versus $800 in China.

Reunion $1,867
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,942 in Reunion versus $1,266 in China.

Reunion $2,942
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,016 in Reunion versus $1,731 in China.

Reunion $4,016
China $1,731

Living in Reunion is roughly 133% more expensive than in China on average.

Reunion (38% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.92 €7.93

$2.92 ¥19.50

205.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 €85.6

$22.45 ¥150

328.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.39 €11.91

$5.33 ¥35.65

151.22%

Cappuccino

$3.31 €2.95

$3.04 ¥20.34

8.88%

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

$2.88 €2.56

$0.48 ¥3.23

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.30 ¥2.02

663.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 €4.07

$1.07 ¥7.12

327.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.26 ¥15.11

153.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.75 ¥11.70

-18.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.62 ¥10.80

85.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$0.99 ¥6.63

219.19%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.12

$1.56 ¥10.44

196.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.32 €18.97

$13.25 ¥88.6

60.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.10 €13.43

$3.37 ¥22.50

348.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.67 €21.94

$11.39 ¥76.2

116.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.82 ¥12.19

60.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.25 ¥8.34

64.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.55 ¥10.39

84.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 €5.86

$1.28 ¥8.55

414.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.71 ¥4.72

247.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$0.86 ¥5.75

329.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.65 ¥4.36

136.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$0.59 ¥3.97

364.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 €11.42

$3.76 ¥25.14

241.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 €7.96

$11.76 ¥78.6

-23.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.88

$0.91 ¥6.11

256.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.62 ¥10.86

53.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 €2.53

$0.31 ¥2.10

819.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.52 €37.82

$22.75 ¥152

86.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.17

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.66

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.25 ¥8.38

53.60%

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

$19.4K ¥129.7K

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

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

$122 €108

$55.5 ¥371

119.70%

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

$16.08 €14.30

$8.29 ¥55.4

93.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.86 €39.01

$10.97 ¥73.3

299.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.74 €31.79

$40.38 ¥270

-11.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.40 €11.92

$14.76 ¥98.7

-9.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 €10.01

$6.76 ¥45.18

66.42%

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

$465 ¥3,108

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 €127

$46.32 ¥310

208.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 ¥243

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 €112

$76.3 ¥510

64.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$78.8 ¥527

43.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 €844

$396 ¥2,646

139.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 €660

$240 ¥1,604

209.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 €1,476

$822 ¥5,499

101.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 €1,119

$466 ¥3,116

170.04%

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)

$2,056 €1,829

$1,075 ¥7,188

91.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

15.61%

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

Last update for Reunion: 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

Reunion

$742 39.7%

China

$240 30% 67.7% $502

Groceries & Markets

Reunion

$453 24.3%

China

$209 26.1% 53.9% $244

Eating Out

Reunion

$206 11%

China

$89 11.1% 56.9% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reunion

$182 9.7%

China

$75 9.3% 58.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Reunion

$172 * 9.2%

China

$107 13.4% 37.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Reunion

$58 3.1%

China

$54 6.7% 7.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Reunion

$54 * 2.9%

China

$27 3.4% 49.2% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $446 in Reunion, $299 in China. Capital cities: $1,074 in Saint-Pierre vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,047 in Reunion, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 49% higher in Reunion.

Dining out costs 48% more in Reunion.

Public transport is 31% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 135% higher in Reunion.

Good to know

🇷🇪 Reunion

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

11:39 11:39 AM

4 h ahead of Reunion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,348

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reunion China 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Reunion
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

Reunion vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,867 in Reunion, there's a 133% 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 $446 in Reunion 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 Reunion 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; Reunion may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.