Cost of living comparison

 China
compared to
 Mali
Mali vs. China Cost of Living Summary

Mali is 88.9% more expensive than China overall.

Restaurants
pay 78.1% more in Mali
Groceries
pay 76.4% more in Mali
Transportation
pay 23.4% more in Mali
Housing
pay 3.5 times more in Mali
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.6% more in Mali

The cost of housing, restaurants, groceries, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Mali are more expensive than in China. Notably, housing, restaurants, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Mali.

Mali vs. China Cost Breakdown

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

pay 78.1% more for restaurants

 
China
Mali
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.85
CN¥20.69
$6.70
F CFA4,044
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.07
CN¥36.72
$6.42
F CFA3,875
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.49
CN¥3.55
$0.77
F CFA466

Improve prices ·

pay 76.4% more for groceries

 
China
Mali
Bread
1 loaf
$1.59
CN¥11.54
$1.10
F CFA665
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.85
CN¥42.41
??
Milk (1 gallon) $6.86
CN¥49.73
$9.46
F CFA5,708

Improve prices ·

pay 23.4% more for transportation

 
China
Mali
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.44
CN¥32.22
$5.48
F CFA3,308
Monthly public transit pass $22.47
CN¥162.89
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,071.53
CN¥138,254.31
??

Improve prices ·

pay 3.5 times more for housing

 
China
Mali
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.70
CN¥84.78
$41.27
F CFA24,893
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $328.33
CN¥2,380.15
??
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $205.78
CN¥1,491.75
??

Improve prices ·

pay (unknown) more for childcare

 
China
Mali
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $459.70
CN¥3,332.47
??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $18,318.08
CN¥132,792.34
??

Improve prices ·

pay 13.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
China
Mali
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.09
CN¥7.91
$2.39
F CFA1,439
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.07
CN¥22.24
$1.89
F CFA1,140
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.23
CN¥23.44
$0.93
F CFA563

Improve prices ·

pay (unknown) more for clothing

 
China
Mali
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$48.23
CN¥349.60
??
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$31.67
CN¥229.59
??
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$72.53
CN¥525.76
??

Improve prices ·
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: March 2025
Share this

Compare by city

Select a city in China
Select a city..
compared to
Select a city in Mali
Select a city..
For example, try comparing the cost of living in Beijing vs. Bamako

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mali or China. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.