Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Ireland

Name: Ireland
Address: IE

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $2,960 in Ireland, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Ireland
Learn more

Ireland Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Ireland

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in China versus $2,960 in Ireland.

China $793
Ireland $2,960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,261 in China versus $4,217 in Ireland.

China $1,261
Ireland $4,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in China versus $5,475 in Ireland.

China $1,730
Ireland $5,475

Internal cost variation is higher in Ireland: monthly costs span $1,755 to $3,729, compared to $466–$1,244 in China. City choice carries more weight in Ireland.

Living in China costs about 73% less than in Ireland on average.

China (41% below) and Ireland (119% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.74

$22.11 €19.67

-86.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$89.2 €79.4

-74.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.65

$12.49 €11.11

-57.25%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.32

$4.56 €4.06

-33.33%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$2.75 €2.45

-82.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.84

$2.20 €1.96

-87.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.91

$6.86 €6.10

-84.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.14

$6.82 €6.06

-66.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.58 €1.41

13.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.26

$2.25 €2.00

-24.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.68

$1.87 €1.66

-46.52%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.41

$4.40 €3.91

-64.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.7

$11.26 €10.01

19.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.25

$11.39 €10.13

-69.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ¥76.7

$14.26 €12.68

-19.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$2.98 €2.65

-39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.40

$2.26 €2.01

-44.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$3.20 €2.85

-53.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.75

$4.51 €4.01

-70.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$2.12 €1.89

-66.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.51 €1.34

-38.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$1.40 €1.24

-56.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$2.00 €1.78

-71.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.61

$20.21 €17.98

-81.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ¥79.3

$13.27 €11.80

-10.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.71

$3.49 €3.10

-75.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.31

$3.71 €3.30

-54.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$2.17 €1.93

-85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.36 ¥149

$109 €96.8

-79.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$5.49 €4.89

-73.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.52

$1.54 €1.37

-75.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥46.97

$33.64 €29.92

-79.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.31

$2.07 €1.85

-40.10%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$39.0K €34.7K

-50.65%

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

$17.3K ¥115.5K

$38.2K €34.0K

-54.70%

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

$54.3 ¥362

$243 €216

-77.63%

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

$8.34 ¥55.7

$22.59 €20.10

-63.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.77 ¥71.9

$51.4 €45.73

-79.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 ¥270

$56.0 €49.83

-27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.7

$20.95 €18.63

-29.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ¥46.01

$13.62 €12.11

-49.41%

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

$457 ¥3,053

$1,116 €992

-59.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ¥134.0K

$11.9K €10.6K

68.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.10 ¥301

$99.1 €88.2

-54.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 ¥238

$45.25 €40.25

-21.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥520

$104 €92.7

-25.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ¥521

$118 €105

-33.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ¥2,611

$1,752 €1,558

-77.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,547

$1,576 €1,402

-85.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥5,449

$2,767 €2,461

-70.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,066

$2,388 €2,124

-80.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 ¥30.6K

$4,961 €4,412

-7.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,309 ¥15.4K

$3,968 €3,529

-41.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,084 ¥7,237

$3,416 €3,038

-68.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.17

-17.03%

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

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ireland: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.2%

Ireland

$1.6K 53.3% 580% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

China

$211 26.6%

Ireland

$351 11.9% 66.2% $140

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Ireland

$165 5.6% 54.8% $58

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Ireland

$337 11.4% 279% $248

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.3%

Ireland

$317 10.7% 332% $243

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Ireland

$83 2.8% 53.7% $29

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Ireland

$131 4.4% 385% $104

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $1,561 in Ireland. Capital cities: $940 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,503 in Dublin.

National salary averages: $871 in China, $3,213 in Ireland. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 424% higher in Ireland.

Dining out costs 310% more in Ireland.

Public transport is 229% more expensive in Ireland.

Salaries are 269% higher in Ireland.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇮🇪 Ireland

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

08:53 8:53 AM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

5,149,139

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Ireland 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Ireland

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 Ireland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $2,960 in Ireland, there's a 273% gap. 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 $1,561 in Ireland and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Ireland it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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