Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Croatia

Name: Croatia
Address: HR

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,579 in Croatia, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Croatia
Learn more

Croatia Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Croatia

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 Croatia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,579 in Croatia.

China $791
Croatia $1,579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,390 in Croatia.

China $1,251
Croatia $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $3,202 in Croatia.

China $1,711
Croatia $3,202

China ($465–$1,222) and Croatia ($1,114–$1,999) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 50% less than in Croatia on average.

China (42% below) and Croatia (16% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$13.52 €12.11

-77.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$68.1 €61.0

-67.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$9.46 €8.48

-45.03%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$2.45 €2.19

21.22%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$3.07 €2.75

-84.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$2.40 €2.15

-87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$3.88 €3.48

-72.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$4.53 €4.06

-49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.21 €1.08

48.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$1.51 €1.35

11.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.83 €2.54

-67.49%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$3.80 €3.40

-57.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$12.07 €10.81

10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$9.48 €8.50

-64.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$13.59 €12.18

-16.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$1.87 €1.67

-2.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$1.74 €1.56

-24.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$1.93 €1.73

-22.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$2.47 €2.21

-48.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.39 €1.24

-48.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.26 €1.13

-26.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.22 €1.10

-49.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$1.21 €1.08

-53.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$5.71 €5.11

-33.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$7.97 €7.14

52.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.64 €1.47

-49.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$2.18 €1.95

-22.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.65 €1.48

-82.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$50.5 €45.28

-64.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$3.72 €3.33

-59.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.42 €1.27

-73.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$19.30 €17.29

-63.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.79 €1.60

-29.61%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$27.3K €24.5K

-28.81%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$24.9K €22.3K

-29.44%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$190 €170

-71.26%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$21.64 €19.39

-59.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$36.71 €32.90

-69.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$47.55 €42.61

-14.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$14.99 €13.43

-3.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$9.19 €8.24

-26.22%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$334 €299

54.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$9,005 €8,070

119.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$98.0 €87.8

-52.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$41.02 €36.76

-13.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$97.7 €87.6

-21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$101 €90.7

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$707 €633

-45.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$556 €498

-57.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$1,171 €1,049

-29.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$903 €810

-49.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$4,338 €3,888

8.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$3,508 €3,144

-32.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$1,592 €1,427

-31.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.71

-6.74%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Croatia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Croatia

$556 35.2% 137% $321

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Croatia

$272 17.3% 29.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Croatia

$152 9.6% 41.1% $44

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Croatia

$216 13.7% 145% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Croatia

$248 15.7% 234% $174

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Croatia

$66 4.2% 21.4% $12

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Croatia

$68 4.3% 204% $46

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $676 in Croatia. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $888 in Zagreb.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $1,358 in Croatia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 127% higher in Croatia.

Dining out costs 186% more in Croatia.

Public transport is 156% more expensive in Croatia.

Salaries are 56% higher in Croatia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇭🇷 Croatia

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

14:50 2:50 PM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

3,871,833

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Croatia 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Croatia

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 Croatia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,579 in Croatia, China comes out about 50% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $676 in Croatia and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.