Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Albania

Name: Albania
Address: AL

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.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Albania
Learn more

Albania Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Albania

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

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

China $791
Albania $1,217

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

China $1,251
Albania $1,876

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

China $1,711
Albania $2,534

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

The cost of living in China is roughly 35% lower than in Albania on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$10.07 ALL 818

-70.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$42.72 ALL 3,470

-48.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$8.72 ALL 708

-40.37%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$2.12 ALL 172

40.09%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$2.12 ALL 172

-77.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$0.95 ALL 77.4

-68.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$2.70 ALL 219

-60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$3.69 ALL 300

-38.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$2.21 ALL 180

-18.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$1.11 ALL 90.3

51.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.34 ALL 190

-60.68%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$3.59 ALL 292

-55.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$12.54 ALL 1,019

6.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$8.61 ALL 699

-61.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$15.25 ALL 1,239

-25.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$1.71 ALL 139

6.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$2.50 ALL 203

-47.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$1.85 ALL 151

-19.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$1.69 ALL 138

-24.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.06 ALL 86.2

-33.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.16 ALL 94.5

-19.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.29 ALL 104

-51.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.79 ALL 64.0

-29.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$4.65 ALL 378

-18.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$9.66 ALL 785

25.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.63 ALL 132

-49.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$2.06 ALL 168

-18.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.47 ALL 38.16

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$19.73 ALL 1,602

-9.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$3.78 ALL 307

-60.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$3.60 ALL 293

-89.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$18.46 ALL 1,499

-61.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$2.34 ALL 190

-46.15%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$34.0K ALL 2.8M

-42.87%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$28.0K ALL 2.3M

-37.32%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$91.2 ALL 7,405

-40.16%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$18.83 ALL 1,529

-53.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$19.05 ALL 1,547

-41.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$50.5 ALL 4,100

-19.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$23.87 ALL 1,939

-39.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$9.82 ALL 797

-30.96%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$277 ALL 22.5K

86.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$6,515 ALL 529.1K

204.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$63.1 ALL 5,125

-26.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$47.16 ALL 3,830

-24.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$114 ALL 9,245

-32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$119 ALL 9,657

-32.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$561 ALL 45.6K

-31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$380 ALL 30.9K

-38.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$973 ALL 79.0K

-15.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$605 ALL 49.2K

-25.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$2,786 ALL 226.2K

68.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,658 ALL 134.7K

43.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$748 ALL 60.8K

46.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.17

-33.08%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Albania: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Albania

$380 31.3% 62.2% $146

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Albania

$274 22.6% 30.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Albania

$154 12.7% 43.3% $47

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Albania

$165 13.6% 87.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Albania

$129 10.6% 73.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Albania

$70 5.8% 29% $16

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Albania

$43 3.6% 94.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $873 in China vs $684 in Albania. 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

🇨🇳 China

🇦🇱 Albania

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

01:58 1:58 AM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

2,811,655

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Albania 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Albania

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

China vs Albania: 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.