Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Romania

Name: Romania
Address: RO

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,133 in Romania, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Romania
Learn more

Romania Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Romania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,133 in Romania.

China $791
Romania $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,691 in Romania.

China $1,251
Romania $1,691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,250 in Romania.

China $1,711
Romania $2,250

China ($465–$1,222) and Romania ($742–$1,423) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 30% less than in Romania on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Romania 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$10.41 RON 49.74

-71.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$41.28 RON 197

-46.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$7.27 RON 34.73

-28.47%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$2.72 RON 13.00

9.19%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$2.02 RON 9.63

-76.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.67 RON 7.97

-82.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$2.25 RON 10.75

-52.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$3.21 RON 15.33

-28.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.53 RON 7.30

17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$1.15 RON 5.49

46.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.59 RON 7.59

-42.14%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$3.23 RON 15.45

-50.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$8.03 RON 38.38

66.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$6.39 RON 30.52

-47.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$10.22 RON 48.85

11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$1.21 RON 5.80

50.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$1.54 RON 7.34

-14.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$1.54 RON 7.38

-3.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$2.10 RON 10.05

-39.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.78 RON 3.75

-8.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.86 RON 4.13

8.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$0.84 RON 4.03

-26.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.84 RON 4.01

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$6.05 RON 28.91

-37.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$6.11 RON 29.22

98.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.10 RON 5.23

-24.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$1.57 RON 7.50

7.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.72 RON 3.42

-59.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$23.15 RON 111

-22.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$0.80 RON 3.81

86.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.72 RON 3.46

-48.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$7.00 RON 33.46

1.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.78 RON 8.52

-29.21%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$28.7K RON 137.3K

-32.33%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$25.3K RON 121.1K

-30.82%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$160 RON 762

-65.80%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$7.98 RON 38.12

9.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$8.83 RON 42.22

25.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$40.42 RON 193

0.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$18.47 RON 88.3

-21.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$7.35 RON 35.13

-7.76%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$473 RON 2,262

9.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$8,477 RON 40.5K

133.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$69.5 RON 332

-33.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$37.71 RON 180

-5.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$79.6 RON 380

-3.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$84.3 RON 403

-4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$503 RON 2,405

-23.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$375 RON 1,794

-37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$776 RON 3,708

5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$579 RON 2,765

-21.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$2,539 RON 12.1K

85.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,819 RON 8,691

30.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$1,001 RON 4,782

9.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.98

-50.43%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Romania

$375 33.2% 60.1% $141

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Romania

$203 17.9% 3.3% $7

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Romania

$122 10.8% 13.2% $14

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Romania

$170 15% 93.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Romania

$176 15.6% 137% $102

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Romania

$55 4.9% 1.5% $0.8

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Romania

$30 2.7% 36.3% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $387 in Romania. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $711 in Bucharest.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $857 in Romania. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 30% higher in Romania.

Dining out costs 86% more in Romania.

Public transport is 22% more expensive in Romania.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇷🇴 Romania

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

19,053,815

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Romania 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Romania

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 Romania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,133 in Romania, China comes out about 30% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $387 in Romania 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.