Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $3,216 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $29,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Vanuatu
Learn more

Vanuatu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,216

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,216 in Vanuatu versus $800 in China.

Vanuatu $3,216
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,324 in Vanuatu versus $1,266 in China.

Vanuatu $4,324
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,432 in Vanuatu versus $1,731 in China.

Vanuatu $5,432
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $462 to $1,256, compared to $3,155–$3,454 in Vanuatu. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Vanuatu is roughly 302% more expensive than in China on average.

Vanuatu (137% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.42 VUV 1,457

$2.92 ¥19.50

325.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,553

$22.45 ¥150

148.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 VUV 1,660

$5.33 ¥35.65

165.48%

Cappuccino

$3.97 VUV 466

$3.04 ¥20.34

30.59%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$0.48 ¥3.23

379.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 274

$0.30 ¥2.02

676.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 VUV 590

$1.07 ¥7.12

370.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.35 VUV 863

$2.26 ¥15.11

225.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.13 VUV 367

$1.75 ¥11.70

78.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 VUV 293

$1.62 ¥10.80

54.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 452

$0.99 ¥6.63

289.90%

Eggs

$6.21 VUV 728

$1.56 ¥10.44

298.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 VUV 1,911

$13.25 ¥88.6

22.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.00 VUV 1,876

$3.37 ¥22.50

374.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 VUV 1,554

$11.39 ¥76.2

16.33%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 VUV 771

$1.82 ¥12.19

260.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 VUV 243

$1.25 ¥8.34

65.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 VUV 459

$1.55 ¥10.39

152.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.09 VUV 1,184

$1.28 ¥8.55

688.28%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,052

$0.71 ¥4.72

1161.97%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 VUV 510

$0.86 ¥5.75

404.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 305

$0.65 ¥4.36

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 137

$0.59 ¥3.97

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 VUV 1,122

$3.76 ¥25.14

154.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.45 VUV 1,460

$11.76 ¥78.6

5.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 VUV 344

$0.91 ¥6.11

223.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 VUV 351

$1.62 ¥10.86

84.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$0.31 ¥2.10

316.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.7 VUV 7,943

$22.75 ¥152

197.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 VUV 295

$1.52 ¥10.17

65.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 VUV 95.4

$0.37 ¥2.50

118.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 VUV 587

$7.28 ¥48.66

-31.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 VUV 216

$1.25 ¥8.38

47.20%

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

$23.0K VUV 2.7M

$19.4K ¥129.7K

18.81%

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

$37.3K VUV 4.4M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

118.11%

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

$624 VUV 73.2K

$55.5 ¥371

1025.25%

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

$22.95 VUV 2,692

$8.29 ¥55.4

176.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$360 VUV 42.2K

$10.97 ¥73.3

3180.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 VUV 7,963

$40.38 ¥270

68.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 VUV 1,971

$14.76 ¥98.7

13.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.18

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

$632 VUV 74.1K

$465 ¥3,108

35.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,850 VUV 803.5K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-65.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.81 VUV 4,787

$46.32 ¥310

-11.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.5 VUV 7,797

$36.30 ¥243

83.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 VUV 9,991

$76.3 ¥510

11.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.1K

$78.8 ¥527

30.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 VUV 183.7K

$396 ¥2,646

295.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 VUV 140.6K

$240 ¥1,604

399.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,359 VUV 394.0K

$822 ¥5,499

308.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 VUV 222.5K

$466 ¥3,116

307.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,080 VUV 713.1K

$4,544 ¥30.4K

33.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,184 VUV 256.2K

$2,282 ¥15.3K

-4.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$345 VUV 40.4K

$1,075 ¥7,188

-67.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

3.46

78.61%

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

Last update for Vanuatu: October 20, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vanuatu

$1.2K 37.3%

China

$240 30% 80% $958

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vanuatu

$1K 31.3%

China

$75 9.3% 92.6% $933

Groceries & Markets

Vanuatu

$482 15%

China

$209 26.1% 56.7% $273

Eating Out

Vanuatu

$248 7.7%

China

$89 11.1% 64.2% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Vanuatu

$133 4.1%

China

$107 13.4% 19.6% $26

Getting Around

Vanuatu

$79 2.5%

China

$27 3.4% 65.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Vanuatu

$68 * 2.1%

China

$54 6.7% 20.6% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $794 in Vanuatu, $299 in China. Capital cities: $1,587 in Port Vila vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $488 in Vanuatu, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 166% higher in Vanuatu.

Dining out costs 33% more in Vanuatu.

Public transport is 94% more expensive in Vanuatu.

Salaries are 78% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

22:10 10:10 PM

3 h behind Vanuatu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,019

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

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Between locations

Vanuatu China 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Vanuatu
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

Vanuatu vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $3,216 in Vanuatu, there's a 302% 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 $794 in Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu 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; Vanuatu may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.