Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

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🇨🇳 China

$791

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Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $791 in China.

United Kingdom $2,462
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,251 in China.

United Kingdom $3,600
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $1,711 in China.

United Kingdom $4,738
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 211% more expensive than in China on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.15

$2.98 ¥19.84

620.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$22.09 ¥147

288.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.98

$5.20 ¥34.66

104.04%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$2.97 ¥19.77

65.32%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$0.48 ¥3.19

454.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.30 ¥2.01

523.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

$1.08 ¥7.19

513.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$2.28 ¥15.18

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.80 ¥11.98

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.68 ¥11.17

2.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$0.92 ¥6.14

135.87%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$1.61 ¥10.75

148.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.08

$13.38 ¥89.2

-29.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$3.35 ¥22.31

174.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.10

$11.35 ¥75.7

30.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$1.82 ¥12.14

63.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.31 ¥8.71

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$1.49 ¥9.91

91.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$1.27 ¥8.49

177.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$0.71 ¥4.74

157.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$0.93 ¥6.22

73.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$0.62 ¥4.12

101.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.56 ¥3.75

196.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.77

$3.78 ¥25.19

525.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

$12.13 ¥80.9

-13.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$0.83 ¥5.55

259.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$1.68 ¥11.23

108.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$0.29 ¥1.92

1272.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

$17.83 ¥119

502.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$1.49 ¥9.91

247.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$0.37 ¥2.50

535.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.17

$7.10 ¥47.31

278.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.26 ¥8.39

57.94%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

102.87%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

130.86%

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

$327 £246

$54.6 ¥364

499.67%

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

$18.21 £13.69

$8.73 ¥58.2

108.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.77

$11.07 ¥73.8

293.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

$40.77 ¥272

3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

$14.48 ¥96.5

25.83%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

$6.78 ¥45.19

104.28%

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

$1,868 £1,404

$517 ¥3,443

261.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$19.8K ¥132.0K

14.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

$46.53 ¥310

99.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

$35.66 ¥238

28.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

$77.0 ¥513

32.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

$80.3 ¥535

27.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,009

$386 ¥2,572

247.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £807

$235 ¥1,563

357.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,677

$822 ¥5,478

171.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,309

$453 ¥3,020

284.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

$4,697 ¥31.3K

19.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,205

$2,372 ¥15.8K

79.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,517

$1,093 ¥7,286

206.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.46

53.76%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

China

$235 29.6% 78.1% $839

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

China

$74 9.4% 80.9% $315

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

China

$88 11.1% 73.1% $239

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

China

$210 26.5% 31.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

China

$108 13.6% 30.1% $46

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

China

$22 2.8% 84.1% $118

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

China

$54 6.9% 22.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $298 in China. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 332% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 277% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 461% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 3.7 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

13:37 1:37 PM

8 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom China 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, there’s a 211% 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom 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; the United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.