Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $1,203 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Turkey versus $793 in China.

Turkey $1,203
China $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,848 in Turkey versus $1,261 in China.

Turkey $1,848
China $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,493 in Turkey versus $1,730 in China.

Turkey $2,493
China $1,730

Internal cost variation is higher in Turkey: monthly costs span $661 to $1,752, compared to $466–$1,244 in China. City choice carries more weight in Turkey.

Living in Turkey is roughly 52% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Turkey 11% lower, China 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.49 ₺470

$2.96 ¥19.76

220.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.37 ₺1,999

$22.74 ¥152

77.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.38 ₺465

$5.34 ¥35.70

75.66%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ₺188

$3.04 ¥20.35

24.67%

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

$1.47 ₺72.8

$0.48 ¥3.22

206.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.51

$0.28 ¥1.85

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₺180

$1.03 ¥6.92

253.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ₺228

$2.27 ¥15.16

103.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ₺52.1

$1.80 ¥12.02

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₺50.2

$1.69 ¥11.28

-40.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 ₺105

$1.00 ¥6.69

112.00%

Eggs

$2.16 ₺107

$1.56 ¥10.42

38.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₺467

$13.44 ¥89.8

-29.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.65 ₺230

$3.48 ¥23.28

33.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.57 ₺1,018

$11.49 ¥76.8

79.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ₺88.2

$1.79 ¥12.00

-0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 ₺102

$1.26 ¥8.41

63.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ₺54.7

$1.48 ¥9.92

-25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ₺67.1

$1.31 ¥8.76

3.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ₺26.37

$0.72 ¥4.84

-26.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ₺23.76

$0.93 ¥6.24

-48.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ₺44.94

$0.61 ¥4.11

49.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₺31.63

$0.58 ¥3.89

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 ₺109

$3.84 ¥25.65

-42.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.38 ₺613

$11.87 ¥79.4

4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 ₺111

$0.86 ¥5.72

159.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₺148

$1.69 ¥11.33

76.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 ₺38.56

$0.31 ¥2.07

151.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.13 ₺1,888

$22.36 ¥150

70.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ₺72.3

$1.47 ¥9.82

-0.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 ₺43.95

$0.38 ¥2.53

134.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ₺404

$7.03 ¥47.04

15.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₺69.7

$1.24 ¥8.32

13.71%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$19.2K ¥128.5K

119.33%

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

$40.1K ₺2.0M

$17.3K ¥115.6K

131.90%

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

$75.0 ₺3,714

$54.3 ¥363

38.17%

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

$10.76 ₺533

$8.34 ¥55.7

29.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.58 ₺772

$10.77 ¥72.0

44.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 ₺2,793

$40.39 ¥270

39.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.88 ₺1,034

$14.77 ¥98.8

41.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.94 ₺343

$6.89 ¥46.08

0.73%

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

$690 ₺34.2K

$457 ¥3,057

50.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ₺778.6K

$20.1K ¥134.2K

-21.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 ₺2,680

$45.10 ¥302

20.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.56 ₺2,107

$35.65 ¥238

19.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₺5,027

$77.9 ¥521

30.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 ₺4,651

$78.0 ¥522

20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₺30.7K

$391 ¥2,615

58.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₺21.2K

$232 ¥1,549

85.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 ₺50.0K

$816 ¥5,457

23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 ₺35.2K

$459 ¥3,070

55.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,674 ₺82.9K

$4,585 ¥30.7K

-63.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 ₺56.4K

$2,309 ¥15.4K

-50.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,076 ₺53.3K

$1,084 ¥7,247

-0.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.71

3.46

1105.49%

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

Last update for Turkey: October 10, 2026

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turkey

$429 35.6%

China

$232 29.2% 46% $197

Groceries & Markets

Turkey

$239 19.9%

China

$211 26.6% 11.7% $28

Eating Out

Turkey

$185 15.4%

China

$89 11.2% 52% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Turkey

$131 10.9%

China

$107 13.4% 19% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turkey

$101 8.4%

China

$73 9.3% 27.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Turkey

$70 5.8%

China

$54 6.8% 22.9% $16

Getting Around

Turkey

$47 3.9%

China

$27 3.4% 42.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $446 in Turkey, $298 in China. Capital cities: $747 in Ankara vs $940 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,044 in Turkey, $871 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 50% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 62% more in Turkey.

Salaries are 20% higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Turkey

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

5 h ahead of Turkey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,372,377

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Turkey China 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Turkey
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

Turkey vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $1,203 in Turkey, there's a 52% 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 Turkey and $298 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 Turkey 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; Turkey may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.