Cost of Living · CN vs FR
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇫🇷 Paris: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,761 in France — 74.13% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in France
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 19.44%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 19.88%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 19.9%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +88.72%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +88.72%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +88.72%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | France | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $1,227 (1,134 EUR) | +88.72% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $982 (907 EUR) | +88.72% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $2,244 (2,073 EUR) | +88.72% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $13.62 (13 EUR) | +64.69% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $56.74 (52 EUR) | +64.7% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $8.54 (8 EUR) | +57.56% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.90 (1 EUR) | +45.16% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.61 (2 EUR) | +43.41% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.78 (3 EUR) | +44.04% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $8.16 (8 EUR) | +43.66% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $3.27 (3 EUR) | +44.05% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.92 (4 EUR) | +43.59% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $9.80 (9 EUR) | +43.91% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.63 (2 EUR) | +42.98% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $4.54 (4 EUR) | +64.49% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $7.23 (7 EUR) | +19.9% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $3.78 (3 EUR) | +64.35% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.88 (2 EUR) | +43.51% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $50.44 (47 EUR) | +57.38% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $2.13 (2 EUR) | +56.62% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $3.03 (3 EUR) | +64.67% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.36 (1 EUR) | +63.86% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.86 (1 EUR) | +19.44% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $155 (143 EUR) | +57.4% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $54.32 (50 EUR) | +57.4% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $34.92 (32 EUR) | +57.37% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $37.83 (35 EUR) | +64.69% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $10.59 (10 EUR) | +64.7% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $22.70 (21 EUR) | +64.73% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $49.69 (46 EUR) | +19.88% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $81.32 (75 EUR) | +19.91% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $189 (175 EUR) | +64.71% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is France than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,761 in France versus $1,011 in China — 74.13% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in France?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.54 in France (≈ 4.19 EUR), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in France compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,227/month in France versus $650/month in China (+88.72%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.