Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changsha and Arad, Romania

Name: Arad
Address: Arad, RO

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.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Changsha and in Arad

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

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

Changsha $783
Arad $944

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

Changsha $1,282
Arad $1,403

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

Changsha $1,780
Arad $1,862

Changsha is about 17% cheaper than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.72

$8.53 RON 41.03

-65.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.41 ¥149

$32.88 RON 158

-31.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥32.65

$7.33 RON 35.24

-33.15%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ¥22.27

$2.50 RON 12.04

33.60%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$1.50 RON 7.21

-66.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$1.53 RON 7.37

-82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$2.07 RON 9.95

-40.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.63

$2.49 RON 11.97

-23.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.11

$1.17 RON 5.64

68.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ¥15.80

$1.23 RON 5.91

92.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.74 RON 8.36

-45.98%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.68 RON 12.88

-35.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.6

$7.29 RON 35.04

78.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ¥27.36

$4.94 RON 23.75

-17.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.65 ¥77.6

$10.10 RON 48.53

15.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 ¥18.94

$1.68 RON 8.10

69.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.29

$1.75 RON 8.41

-20.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.85

$1.72 RON 8.26

12.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.49

$1.41 RON 6.77

43.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$0.79 RON 3.78

21.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.06

$0.87 RON 4.17

90.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.34

$1.21 RON 5.82

-46.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.28

$0.81 RON 3.91

-39.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.44

$5.91 RON 28.39

-50.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.72 ¥84.8

$5.86 RON 28.17

117.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.23 RON 5.92

-16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.28

$1.75 RON 8.43

-12.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.86 RON 4.12

-59.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.75 ¥98.4

$21.94 RON 105

-32.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.84

$0.78 RON 3.75

89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$1.03 RON 4.93

-69.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 ¥30.37

$10.33 RON 49.66

-55.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.86 RON 8.96

-32.26%

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

$19.9K ¥132.4K

$28.2K RON 135.7K

-29.67%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$25.4K RON 122.3K

-29.93%

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

$56.1 ¥374

$125 RON 599

-54.94%

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

$9.08 ¥60.5

$8.33 RON 40.04

9.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.61 ¥90.7

$7.13 RON 34.28

90.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 ¥365

$35.51 RON 171

54.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ¥165

$31.53 RON 152

-21.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ¥43.62

$5.24 RON 25.21

24.81%

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

$326 ¥2,176

$160 RON 769

104.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ¥114.5K

$3,827 RON 18.4K

348.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.4 ¥563

$41.21 RON 198

104.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.62 ¥231

$21.08 RON 101

64.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 ¥600

$68.7 RON 330

30.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.2 ¥408

$73.2 RON 352

-16.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,775

$420 RON 2,018

-36.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ¥1,113

$296 RON 1,423

-43.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,727

$512 RON 2,461

9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 ¥2,540

$417 RON 2,004

-8.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,482 ¥16.5K

$1,825 RON 8,774

35.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,414 ¥9,428

$1,309 RON 6,293

8.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,104 ¥7,360

$923 RON 4,437

19.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

7.35

-52.93%

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

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$237 30.3%

Arad

$191 20.3% 19.3% $46

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$167 21.3%

Arad

$296 31.4% 77.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$122 15.5%

Arad

$92 9.7% 24.4% $30

Eating Out

Changsha

$92 11.7%

Arad

$148 15.7% 61.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.1%

Arad

$140 14.8% 77.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Arad

$46 4.9% 32.3% $22

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Arad

$31 3.3% 62.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $266 in Changsha versus $420 in Arad. 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 $22 in Changsha versus $33 in Arad. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Changsha vs $191 in Arad – so Arad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

07:00 7:00 AM

6 h behind Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

159,074

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.36 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changsha Arad 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
Arad

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

Changsha vs Arad: 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 $1,175 per month in Changsha and $1,417 in Arad. 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 $22 in Changsha and $33 in Arad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $783 in Changsha and $944 in Arad, 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.