Cost of Living & Income: Chengdu vs San Diego

ℹ️ About the data: the figures for Chengdu and San Diego are averages compiled from millions of user-contributed income and living-cost entries worldwide over the last 12 months (updated July 2026), converted to Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥). Green 🟢 marks a higher income or a lower price. Source: NUMBEO, which is widely cited by international media; the Seapoe team compiled, translated and processed the data.

Income comparison

MetricChengduSan DiegoChengdu vs San Diego
💰 Average monthly net salary¥8,523¥35,706San Diego earns 4.2× the salary in Chengdu

Daily expenses

MetricChengduSan DiegoChengdu vs San Diego
🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant¥18¥169San Diego costs 9.38× the price in Chengdu
🍝 Meal for two, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)¥148¥675San Diego costs 4.58× the price in Chengdu
🍔 McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent)¥35¥95San Diego costs 2.70× the price in Chengdu
💧 Utilities, 85 m² apartment (monthly)¥276.8¥1,702.7San Diego costs 6.15× the price in Chengdu
💻 Broadband internet, 60 Mbps+ (monthly)¥84.9¥543.8San Diego costs 6.41× the price in Chengdu
📱 Mobile plan, calls + 10 GB+ data (monthly)¥64.6¥499.9San Diego costs 7.74× the price in Chengdu
💪 Gym membership (monthly)¥181.8¥456.9San Diego costs 2.51× the price in Chengdu
🎬 Cinema ticket, international release¥40.0¥135.0San Diego costs 3.38× the price in Chengdu
⛽ Petrol (1 litre)¥8.4¥10.1San Diego costs 1.21× the price in Chengdu

Supermarket prices

MetricChengduSan DiegoChengdu vs San Diego
🥩 Beef round (1 kg)¥75.3¥137.0San Diego costs 1.82× the price in Chengdu
🥚 Eggs (12)¥10.6¥51.5San Diego costs 4.88× the price in Chengdu
🥛 Milk (1 litre)¥12.5¥9.3Chengdu costs 1.34× the price in San Diego
🍞 Bread (500 g)¥11.3¥37.4San Diego costs 3.31× the price in Chengdu
🍏 Apples (1 kg)¥12.3¥29.5San Diego costs 2.39× the price in Chengdu
🥔 Potatoes (1 kg)¥4.8¥21.6San Diego costs 4.48× the price in Chengdu
🍅 Tomatoes (1 kg)¥8.2¥34.2San Diego costs 4.17× the price in Chengdu
🍺 Domestic beer (500 ml)¥5.4¥14.7San Diego costs 2.72× the price in Chengdu
🍷 Wine, mid-range bottle¥37.5¥121.5San Diego costs 3.24× the price in Chengdu

Rent & property prices

MetricChengduSan DiegoChengdu vs San Diego
🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom in city centre (monthly)¥3,157¥22,764San Diego costs 7.21× the price in Chengdu
🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom outside centre (monthly)¥1,740¥16,335San Diego costs 9.39× the price in Chengdu
🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom in city centre (monthly)¥5,711¥37,052San Diego costs 6.49× the price in Chengdu
🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom outside centre (monthly)¥3,595¥30,155San Diego costs 8.39× the price in Chengdu
🏡 Apartment price per m², city centre¥25,294¥54,628San Diego costs 2.16× the price in Chengdu
🏡 Apartment price per m², outside centre¥13,037¥44,417San Diego costs 3.41× the price in Chengdu