Cost of living comparison

Philippines

compared to

China

China vs. Zamboanga Cost of Living Summary

China is 2.4 times more expensive than Zamboanga.

Restaurants: pay 27.7% more in China
Groceries: pay 28.5% less in China
Transportation: pay 4.8% less in China
Housing: pay 40.3% more in China
Childcare: pay 10.2 times more in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 11.5% more in China
Clothing: pay 31.5% more in China

The cost of childcare, housing, clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in China are more expensive than in Zamboanga. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in China. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in China.

China vs. Zamboanga Cost Breakdown

If you lived in China instead of Zamboanga, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 27.7% more for restaurants

	Zamboanga	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.46 ₱88.33	$2.90 CN¥19.94	+98.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$2.58 ₱155.88	$5.02 CN¥34.52	+94.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.90 ₱54.30	$0.47 CN¥3.26	-47.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.42 ₱25.46	$0.28 CN¥1.90	-34.4%
Average			+27.7%

Zamboanga vs. China - Cost of restaurants

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pay 28.5% less for groceries

	Zamboanga	China
Bread 1 loaf	$1.56 ₱94.13	$1.63 CN¥11.21	+4.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.48 ₱330.99	$6.32 CN¥43.49	+15.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.27 ₱439.28	$6.70 CN¥46.15	-7.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.62 ₱97.69	$1.56 CN¥10.75	-3.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.97 ₱118.82	$1.52 CN¥10.49	-22.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.52 ₱91.92	$0.74 CN¥5.11	-51.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.59 ₱35.35	$0.55 CN¥3.75	-6.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.87 ₱112.75	$0.62 CN¥4.29	-66.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.17 ₱70.71	$0.50 CN¥3.47	-56.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.60 ₱36.30	$0.30 CN¥2.07	-49.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.23 ₱74.57	$0.39 CN¥2.71	-68.0%
Average			-28.5%

Zamboanga vs. China - Cost of groceries

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pay 4.8% less for transportation

	Zamboanga	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.56 ₱275.24	$4.34 CN¥29.85	-4.8%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$20.32 CN¥139.87
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	??	$19,143.98 CN¥132K
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	??	$3.94 CN¥27.14
Average			-4.8%

Zamboanga vs. China - Cost of transportation

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pay 40.3% more for housing

	Zamboanga	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$51.61 ₱3,117.62	$11.18 CN¥76.92	-78.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$137.62 ₱8,313.65	$304.90 CN¥2,098.50	+121.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$68.81 ₱4,156.82	$195.65 CN¥1,346.57	+184.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$121.69 ₱7,350.94	$41.04 CN¥282.49	-66.3%
Average			+40.3%

Zamboanga vs. China - Cost of housing

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pay 10.2 times more for childcare

	Zamboanga	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$51.61 ₱3,117.62	$390.25 CN¥2,685.97	+656.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$1,204.22 ₱72,744.40	$15,493.57 CN¥107K	+1186.6%
Average			+921.4%

Zamboanga vs. China - Cost of childcare

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pay 11.5% more for entertainment and sports

	Zamboanga	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.20 ₱72.74	$1.04 CN¥7.16	-13.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.72 ₱103.92	$2.84 CN¥19.52	+64.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.97 ₱179.44	$3.36 CN¥23.12	+13.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$38.71 ₱2,338.21	$41.13 CN¥283.07	+6.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.88 ₱415.68	$5.98 CN¥41.18	-13.1%
Average			+11.5%

Zamboanga vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 31.5% more for clothing

	Zamboanga	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$24.08 ₱1,454.89	$45.93 CN¥316.10	+90.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	??	$30.93 CN¥212.89
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$86.02 ₱5,196.03	$71.26 CN¥490.46	-17.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$60.21 ₱3,637.22	$72.88 CN¥501.61	+21.0%
Average			+31.5%

Zamboanga vs. China - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2026

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