Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad, Romania and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $944 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Arad
Learn more

Arad Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
Learn more

Changsha Living Index

Jump to prices

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$944

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arad and in Changsha

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

A single person spends $944 per month in Arad vs $783 in Changsha, rent included.

Arad $944
Changsha $783

A couple spends around $1,403 per month in Arad vs $1,282 in Changsha, rent included.

Arad $1,403
Changsha $1,282

A family of three spends $1,862 per month in Arad vs $1,780 in Changsha, rent included.

Arad $1,862
Changsha $1,780

Arad costs about 21% more than Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arad and Changsha are more affordable than the global median – Arad 31% lower, Changsha 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.53 RON 41.03

$2.96 ¥19.72

188.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.88 RON 158

$22.41 ¥149

46.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 RON 35.24

$4.90 ¥32.65

49.59%

Cappuccino

$2.50 RON 12.04

$3.34 ¥22.27

-25.15%

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

$1.50 RON 7.21

$0.51 ¥3.39

194.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RON 7.37

$0.27 ¥1.82

466.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.95

$1.24 ¥8.26

66.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 RON 11.97

$1.90 ¥12.63

31.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 RON 5.64

$1.97 ¥13.11

-40.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 RON 5.91

$2.37 ¥15.80

-48.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 RON 8.36

$0.94 ¥6.29

85.11%

Eggs

$2.68 RON 12.88

$1.72 ¥11.46

55.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 RON 35.04

$12.99 ¥86.6

-43.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 RON 23.75

$4.10 ¥27.36

20.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 RON 48.53

$11.65 ¥77.6

-13.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.10

$2.84 ¥18.94

-40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 RON 8.41

$1.39 ¥9.29

25.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.26

$1.93 ¥12.85

-10.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 RON 6.77

$2.02 ¥13.49

-30.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.78

$0.96 ¥6.40

-17.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 RON 4.17

$1.66 ¥11.06

-47.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 RON 5.82

$0.65 ¥4.34

86.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.91

$0.49 ¥3.28

65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 RON 28.39

$2.92 ¥19.44

102.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 RON 28.17

$12.72 ¥84.8

-53.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.92

$1.03 ¥6.87

19.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.43

$1.54 ¥10.28

13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$0.35 ¥2.35

145.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.94 RON 105

$14.75 ¥98.4

48.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 RON 3.75

$1.48 ¥9.84

-47.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 RON 4.93

$0.31 ¥2.10

232.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 RON 49.66

$4.56 ¥30.37

126.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RON 8.96

$1.26 ¥8.42

47.62%

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

$28.2K RON 135.7K

$19.9K ¥132.4K

42.18%

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

$25.4K RON 122.3K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

42.72%

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

$125 RON 599

$56.1 ¥374

121.94%

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

$8.33 RON 40.04

$9.08 ¥60.5

-8.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.13 RON 34.28

$13.61 ¥90.7

-47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.51 RON 171

$54.8 ¥365

-35.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.53 RON 152

$24.80 ¥165

27.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 RON 25.21

$6.54 ¥43.62

-19.88%

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

$160 RON 769

$326 ¥2,176

-51.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,827 RON 18.4K

$17.2K ¥114.5K

-77.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.21 RON 198

$84.4 ¥563

-51.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.08 RON 101

$34.62 ¥231

-39.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 RON 330

$90.0 ¥600

-23.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.2 RON 352

$61.2 ¥408

19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 RON 2,018

$266 ¥1,775

57.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,423

$167 ¥1,113

77.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 RON 2,461

$559 ¥3,727

-8.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 RON 2,004

$381 ¥2,540

9.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,825 RON 8,774

$2,482 ¥16.5K

-26.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,309 RON 6,293

$1,414 ¥9,428

-7.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$923 RON 4,437

$1,104 ¥7,360

-16.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.35

3.46

112.43%

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

Last update for Arad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arad

$296 31.4%

Changsha

$167 21.3% 43.6% $129

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$191 20.3%

Changsha

$237 30.3% 23.9% $46

Eating Out

Arad

$148 15.7%

Changsha

$92 11.7% 38% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$140 14.8%

Changsha

$79 10.1% 43.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$92 9.7%

Changsha

$122 15.5% 32.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$46 4.9%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 47.6% $22

Getting Around

Arad

$31 3.3%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 38.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Arad versus $266 in Changsha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Changsha, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Arad versus $22 in Changsha. Groceries tell a different story – $191 in Arad vs $237 in Changsha – so Arad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Arad

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

6 h ahead of Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,074

5,289,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arad Changsha 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Arad
Changsha

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

Arad vs Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 21% more than Changsha, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,417 per month in Arad and $1,175 in Changsha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changsha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $266 there versus $420 in Arad.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Arad and $22 in Changsha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $944 in Arad and $783 in Changsha. That’s a gap of about 21%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $944 in Arad and $783 in Changsha, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Arad has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $783 in Changsha to $944 in Arad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.