Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Latvia

Name: Latvia
Address: LV

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,415 in Latvia, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Latvia
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Latvia Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Latvia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,415 in Latvia.

China $791
Latvia $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,149 in Latvia.

China $1,251
Latvia $2,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,883 in Latvia.

China $1,711
Latvia $2,883

Internal cost variation is higher in Latvia: monthly costs span $44 to $1,614, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Latvia.

Living in China costs about 44% less than in Latvia on average.

China (42% below) and Latvia (4% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$13.55 €12.14

-78.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$56.2 €50.4

-60.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$8.19 €7.34

-36.51%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$3.25 €2.91

-8.62%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.58 €1.41

-69.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.21 €1.08

-75.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$5.02 €4.50

-78.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$4.51 €4.04

-49.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.20 €1.08

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$1.55 €1.39

8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.54 €2.27

-63.78%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$3.53 €3.17

-54.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$10.39 €9.31

28.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$8.15 €7.30

-58.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$14.07 €12.61

-19.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$1.94 €1.74

-6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$1.74 €1.56

-24.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$2.52 €2.26

-40.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$3.16 €2.83

-59.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.88 €0.79

-19.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.92 €0.82

1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.67 €1.50

-62.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.96 €0.86

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$6.09 €5.46

-37.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$7.91 €7.08

53.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.77 €1.59

-53.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$1.94 €1.74

-13.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.64 €1.47

-82.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$34.19 €30.64

-47.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$3.41 €3.05

-56.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.81 €0.72

-54.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$16.31 €14.62

-56.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.92 €1.72

-34.37%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$27.7K €24.9K

-29.92%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$30.3K €27.1K

-42.08%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$319 €286

-82.88%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$17.66 €15.82

-50.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$18.58 €16.65

-40.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$43.98 €39.41

-7.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$34.52 €30.94

-58.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$9.94 €8.91

-31.79%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$641 €574

-19.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$17.0K €15.2K

16.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$78.1 €70.0

-40.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$46.22 €41.42

-22.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$93.4 €83.7

-17.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$137 €123

-41.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$434 €389

-11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$308 €276

-23.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$927 €831

-11.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$563 €505

-19.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$2,383 €2,136

97.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,527 €1,368

55.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$1,263 €1,132

-13.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.48

-22.77%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Latvia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Latvia

$308 21.8% 31.2% $73

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Latvia

$263 18.6% 25.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Latvia

$160 11.3% 48.2% $52

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Latvia

$217 15.4% 147% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Latvia

$355 25.1% 377% $281

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Latvia

$64 4.5% 17.6% $9.5

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Latvia

$48 3.4% 116% $26

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $301 in Latvia. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $621 in Riga.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $967 in Latvia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 150% more in Latvia.

Public transport is 111% more expensive in Latvia.

Salaries are 11% higher in Latvia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇱🇻 Latvia

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

07:35 7:35 AM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

1,871,882

💱 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 →

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Between locations

China Latvia 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Latvia

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 Latvia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,415 in Latvia, China comes out about 44% 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.

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