Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suriname and China

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $789 a month against $1,045 in Suriname, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Suriname
China
🇸🇷 Suriname
$1,045
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$789
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,045 in Suriname versus $789 in China.

  • Suriname $1,045
  • China $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,707 in Suriname versus $1,254 in China.

  • Suriname $1,707
  • China $1,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,370 in Suriname versus $1,720 in China.

  • Suriname $2,370
  • China $1,720

Suriname ($202–$1,050) and China ($468–$1,246) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Suriname is roughly 32% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Suriname 23% lower, China 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Suriname
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.49 SRD 504
$3.04 ¥20.25
343.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.28 SRD 1,729
$22.12 ¥147
109.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 SRD 400
$5.37 ¥35.75
99.63%
Cappuccino
$2.81 SRD 105
$2.93 ¥19.54
-4.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 SRD 55.2
$0.48 ¥3.21
208.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 SRD 32.56
$0.30 ¥2.01
190.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.37 SRD 88.7
$1.07 ¥7.15
121.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.03 SRD 151
$2.21 ¥14.69
82.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Suriname
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 SRD 67.5
$1.80 ¥12.01
0.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 SRD 50.8
$1.62 ¥10.76
-16.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 SRD 53.5
$0.99 ¥6.58
44.44%
Eggs
$3.05 SRD 114
$1.62 ¥10.80
88.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.71 SRD 437
$13.44 ¥89.5
-12.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.42 SRD 240
$3.46 ¥23.05
85.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.95 SRD 372
$11.15 ¥74.2
-10.76%
Apples (1kg)
$4.91 SRD 183
$1.89 ¥12.60
159.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.44 SRD 91.1
$1.31 ¥8.72
86.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.82 SRD 143
$1.50 ¥9.97
154.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.83 SRD 218
$1.34 ¥8.90
335.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 SRD 49.15
$0.72 ¥4.77
83.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 SRD 72.6
$0.93 ¥6.21
108.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.55 SRD 57.9
$0.65 ¥4.35
138.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 SRD 50.4
$0.60 ¥3.98
125.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.27 SRD 271
$3.82 ¥25.43
90.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.22 SRD 307
$12.18 ¥81.1
-32.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.00 SRD 74.6
$0.91 ¥6.04
119.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 SRD 142
$1.65 ¥10.96
129.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Suriname
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 SRD 20.63
$0.29 ¥1.92
89.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$32.28 SRD 1,206
$18.07 ¥120
78.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.13 SRD 79.4
$1.53 ¥10.22
39.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 SRD 58.2
$0.37 ¥2.46
321.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.06 SRD 264
$6.69 ¥44.58
5.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 SRD 41.32
$1.28 ¥8.50
-13.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K SRD 940.8K
$19.7K ¥131.5K
27.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K SRD 922.3K
$17.5K ¥116.3K
41.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suriname
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.24 SRD 1,391
$55.3 ¥368
-32.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.90 SRD 967
$8.32 ¥55.4
211.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.32 SRD 1,132
$11.12 ¥74.1
172.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Suriname
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.70 SRD 512
$39.65 ¥264
-65.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.78 SRD 776
$15.17 ¥101
36.98%
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 SRD 190
$6.65 ¥44.27
-23.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Suriname
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$62.1 SRD 2,319
$514 ¥3,426
-87.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.4K SRD 576.8K
$34.9K ¥232.5K
-55.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Suriname
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.03 SRD 1,383
$45.85 ¥305
-19.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.77 SRD 1,075
$35.41 ¥236
-18.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.3 SRD 2,811
$76.0 ¥506
-1.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 SRD 4,456
$80.0 ¥533
49.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Suriname
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$489 SRD 18.3K
$380 ¥2,528
28.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$268 SRD 10.0K
$232 ¥1,543
15.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$956 SRD 35.7K
$836 ¥5,565
14.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 SRD 18.7K
$462 ¥3,075
8.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$468 SRD 17.5K
$4,743 ¥31.6K
-90.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$400 SRD 14.9K
$2,383 ¥15.9K
-83.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Suriname
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$280 SRD 10.4K
$1,117 ¥7,438
-74.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.25
3.45
371.01%

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

Last update for Suriname: November 2, 2026

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Suriname
$295
China
$212 28.1% $83
Accommodation & Living
Suriname
$268
China
$232 13.5% $36
Eating Out
Suriname
$203
China
$89 56.4% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Suriname
$117
China
$107 8.9% $10
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suriname
$93
China
$75 20% $19
Getting Around
Suriname
$44
China
$23 49.1% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Suriname
$24
China
$53 122% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $494 in Suriname, $298 in China. Capital cities: $494 in Paramaribo vs $942 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $291 in Suriname, $881 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 66% higher in Suriname.

Dining out costs 100% more in Suriname.

Public transport is 78% more expensive in Suriname.

Salaries are about 3 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know
🇸🇷 Suriname
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
06:41 6:41 AM
17:41 5:41 PM
11 h ahead of Suriname
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
563,402
1,442,965,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 37.35 SRD (100 SRD = 2.68 USD). 1 EUR = 41.87 SRD (100 SRD = 2.39 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Suriname China 14,860 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Suriname
  • 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
Suriname vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: China or Suriname?
At $789 per month in China and $1,045 in Suriname, China comes out about 24% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: China or Suriname?
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.
How do rents compare between China and Suriname?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $494 in Suriname and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in China and in Suriname?
It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

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