Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Eritrea

Name: Eritrea
Address: ER

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,378 in Eritrea, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. The total is higher in Eritrea despite lower rent and utilities.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Eritrea
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Eritrea Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Eritrea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,378 in Eritrea.

China $791
Eritrea $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,160 in Eritrea.

China $1,251
Eritrea $2,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,943 in Eritrea.

China $1,711
Eritrea $2,943

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,387–$1,387 in Eritrea. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China costs about 43% less than in Eritrea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$21.02 ERN 316

-85.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$34.23 ERN 515

-35.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$5.56 ERN 83.8

-6.47%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$0.73 ERN 10.98

306.85%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.03 ERN 15.50

-53.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$1.03 ERN 15.46

-70.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$0.95 ERN 14.37

13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$1.56 ERN 23.45

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.31 ERN 34.81

-60.17%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$4.34 ERN 65.4

-62.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$2.93 ERN 44.15

356.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$26.61 ERN 400

-87.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$9.89 ERN 149

14.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$12.39 ERN 187

-85.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.25 ERN 18.86

4.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.98 ERN 29.83

-24.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.16 ERN 17.41

9.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.85 ERN 27.86

-61.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.96 ERN 14.45

-3.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$2.28 ERN 34.37

-75.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$11.87 ERN 179

2.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.02 ERN 15.31

-18.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.02 ERN 15.30

64.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.11 ERN 1.72

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$7.97 ERN 120

123.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.62 ERN 9.38

-40.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$9.95 ERN 150

-28.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$2.48 ERN 37.28

-49.19%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$66.4K ERN 999.6K

-70.72%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$70.5K ERN 1.1M

-75.13%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$25.16 ERN 379

116.85%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$68.1 ERN 1,024

-87.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$201 ERN 3,031

-94.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$26.52 ERN 399

53.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$5.12 ERN 77.0

182.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$1.19 ERN 17.89

469.75%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$25.46 ERN 383

1929.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$2,622 ERN 39.5K

655.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$135 ERN 2,027

-65.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$121 ERN 1,818

-70.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$198 ERN 2,981

-61.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$149 ERN 2,242

-46.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$249 ERN 3,748

54.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$202 ERN 3,043

15.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$446 ERN 6,716

84.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$420 ERN 6,322

7.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$1,276 ERN 19.2K

268.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$2,295 ERN 34.5K

3.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$505 ERN 7,606

116.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

18.5

-81.30%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Eritrea: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Eritrea

$202 14.7% 13.8% $32

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Eritrea

$363 * 26.3% 72.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Eritrea

$271 19.7% 152% $163

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Eritrea

$207 * 15% 135% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Eritrea

$295 21.4% 296% $220

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Eritrea

$29 2.1% 46.8% $25

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Eritrea

$12 * 0.8% 48.3% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $252 in Eritrea. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $252 in Asmara.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in China.

Dining out costs 55% more in Eritrea.

Public transport is 125% more expensive in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇪🇷 Eritrea

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

21:20 9:20 PM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

3,497,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 ERN = 6.64 USD

100 ERN = 5.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.05 ERN (100 ERN = 6.64 USD). 1 EUR = 16.75 ERN (100 ERN = 5.97 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Eritrea 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Eritrea

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 Eritrea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,378 in Eritrea, there’s a 74% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Eritrea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.