Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albania and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,217 in Albania, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Albania
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Albania Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇦🇱 Albania

$1,217

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albania and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Albania and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,217 per month in Albania vs $791 in China, rent included.

Albania $1,217
China $791

A couple spends around $1,876 per month in Albania vs $1,251 in China, rent included.

Albania $1,876
China $1,251

A family of three spends $2,534 per month in Albania vs $1,711 in China, rent included.

Albania $2,534
China $1,711

Cost ranges are similar: Albania spans $750–$1,401, China $465–$1,222. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Albania is about 54% higher than in China on average.

Both Albania and China are more affordable than the global median – Albania 11% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.07 ALL 818

$2.98 ¥19.81

237.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.72 ALL 3,470

$22.09 ¥147

93.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 ALL 708

$5.20 ¥34.60

67.69%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ALL 172

$2.97 ¥19.74

-28.62%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ALL 172

$0.48 ¥3.19

341.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 ALL 77.4

$0.30 ¥2.01

216.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 ALL 219

$1.08 ¥7.18

150.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ALL 300

$2.28 ¥15.15

61.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ALL 180

$1.80 ¥11.96

22.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ALL 90.3

$1.68 ¥11.15

-33.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 ALL 190

$0.92 ¥6.13

154.35%

Eggs

$3.59 ALL 292

$1.61 ¥10.73

122.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 ALL 1,019

$13.38 ¥89.0

-6.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.61 ALL 699

$3.35 ¥22.28

157.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 ALL 1,239

$11.35 ¥75.5

34.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 ALL 139

$1.82 ¥12.12

-6.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ALL 203

$1.31 ¥8.69

90.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ALL 151

$1.49 ¥9.89

24.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 ALL 138

$1.27 ¥8.47

33.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ALL 86.2

$0.71 ¥4.73

49.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ALL 94.5

$0.93 ¥6.21

24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ALL 104

$0.62 ¥4.12

108.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ALL 64.0

$0.56 ¥3.74

41.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 ALL 378

$3.78 ¥25.15

23.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.66 ALL 785

$12.13 ¥80.7

-20.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ALL 132

$0.83 ¥5.54

96.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ALL 168

$1.68 ¥11.21

22.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ALL 38.16

$0.29 ¥1.91

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ALL 1,602

$17.83 ¥119

10.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.78 ALL 307

$1.49 ¥9.89

153.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.60 ALL 293

$0.37 ¥2.49

872.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.46 ALL 1,499

$7.10 ¥47.23

160.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 ALL 190

$1.26 ¥8.37

85.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.0K ALL 2.8M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

75.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.0K ALL 2.3M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

59.53%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$91.2 ALL 7,405

$54.6 ¥363

67.10%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.83 ALL 1,529

$8.73 ¥58.1

115.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.05 ALL 1,547

$11.07 ¥73.6

72.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 ALL 4,100

$40.77 ¥271

23.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.87 ALL 1,939

$14.48 ¥96.4

64.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ALL 797

$6.78 ¥45.12

44.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$277 ALL 22.5K

$517 ¥3,437

-46.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,515 ALL 529.1K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-67.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 ALL 5,125

$46.53 ¥310

35.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.16 ALL 3,830

$35.66 ¥237

32.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ALL 9,245

$77.0 ¥512

47.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 ALL 9,657

$80.3 ¥534

48.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 ALL 45.6K

$386 ¥2,567

45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ALL 30.9K

$235 ¥1,561

62.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$973 ALL 79.0K

$822 ¥5,469

18.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ALL 49.2K

$453 ¥3,015

33.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,786 ALL 226.2K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-40.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,658 ALL 134.7K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-30.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 ALL 60.8K

$1,093 ¥7,274

-31.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.17

3.46

49.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Albania: October 27, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Albania

$380 31.3%

China

$235 29.6% 38.3% $146

Groceries & Markets

Albania

$274 22.6%

China

$210 26.5% 23.5% $64

Eating Out

Albania

$165 13.6%

China

$88 11.1% 46.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Albania

$154 12.7%

China

$108 13.6% 30.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albania

$129 10.6%

China

$74 9.4% 42.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Albania

$70 5.8%

China

$54 6.9% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

Albania

$43 3.6%

China

$22 2.8% 48.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $469 in Albania vs $298 in China. For reference, capital cities sit at $810 in Tirana and $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Average salary: $684 in Albania vs $873 in China. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 57% higher in Albania.

Dining out costs 91% more in Albania.

Salaries are 28% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Albania

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

7 h ahead of Albania

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,811,655

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Albania China 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Albania
China

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Albania vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 35% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Albania: a central one-bedroom averages $469 versus $298 in China.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in China – part of why living there is about 35% cheaper overall.

China is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.