China vs United Arab Emirates - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China United Arab Emirates
🚶 Cost of living one person
$656
$2025
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1847
$4864
🏠 One person rent
$279
$1361
🏘️ Family rent
$535
$2797
🍽️ Food expenses
$228
$408
🚐 Transport expenses
$70.2
$125
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$843
$3498
💸 GDP per capita
$12614
$49041
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
5.9
❤️ Life expectancy
78.6
79.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
68
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
65%
🎓 Higher education
91
68
😀 Quality of life
48
79
🏙️ Population
1.44B
9.89M

The average cost of living in China ($656) is 68% less expensive than in the United Arab Emirates ($2025). China ranked 153rd vs 14th for the United Arab Emirates in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.3 months in China compared to 1.7 months in the United Arab Emirates. Ranked 82nd and 29th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in China vs United Arab Emirates infographic

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Prices in China vs the United Arab Emirates

We calculate prices for China and the United Arab Emirates as a population-weighted mean of 544 and 9 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

China United Arab Emirates
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.26
$9.37
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.4
$51.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.96
$9
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.27
$11
 Cappuccino
$3.03
$5.56
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.48
$1.07
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$307
$1480
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$213
$1070
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$637
$3301
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$427
$2335
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.3
$113
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$54.2
$174
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12
$95.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.2%
4.73%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4438
$5794
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2622
$3621
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$1.68
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.9
$59.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$3.98
$9.38
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.12
$0.78
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.77
$1.84
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.55
$1.32
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.98
$2.03
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.59
$2.88
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.3
$9.98
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.34
$8.27
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.9
$10.7
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.68
$2.25
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$1.73
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.47
$1.79
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$1.44
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.76
$1.11
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.9
$1.22
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.37
$0.4
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.18
$2.19
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.9
$13.3
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.8
$2.36
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.27
$6.12
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.77
$6.97
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.5
$5.26
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.42
$3.03
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.62
$3.33
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.5
$69.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.06
$13.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$32.5
$72.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.45
$8.5
👖 Brand Jeans
$50.5
$58.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$73
$97.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$407
$679
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17132
$10373

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs the United Arab Emirates

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Shanghai
$1097
24.9M
Beijing
$1016
21.9M
Shenzhen
$916
17.7M
Chongqing
$634
32.1M
Hong Kong
$2737
7.41M
Guangzhou
$774
18.7M
Chengdu
$623
20.9M
Suzhou
$868
12.7M
Hangzhou
$805
11.9M
Tianjin
$687
13.9M
Xi'an
$587
13M
Wuhan
$656
12.3M
Baoding
$472
11.5M
Wuxi
$670
7.46M
Xuzhou
$484
9.08M
Jinhua
$587
7.05M
Nantong
$602
7.73M
Hefei
$625
9.37M
Nanjing
$746
9.31M
Qingdao
$612
10.1M
Bijie
$584
6.9M
Zhengzhou
$512
12.6M
Changchun
$573
9.07M
Ganzhou
$761
8.97M
Pudong
$984
5.68M
Guiyang
$559
5.99M
Changsha
$577
10M
Quanzhou
$644
8.78M
Dongguan
$656
10.5M
Wenzhou
$726
9.57M

In the United Arab Emirates

City Cost of living Population
Dubai
$2379
3.33M
Abu Dhabi
$1828
1.48M
Al Ain
$1844
767K
Sharjah
$1494
1.25M
Ajman
$2240
490K
Fujairah
$1239
119K
Ras al-Khaimah
$1540
116K
Umm al-Quwain
$1196
44.4K
Madinat Zayed
$1721
29.1K