Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Serbia

Name: Serbia
Address: RS

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,227 in Serbia, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Serbia
Learn more

Serbia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Serbia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,227 in Serbia.

China $791
Serbia $1,227

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,873 in Serbia.

China $1,251
Serbia $1,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,518 in Serbia.

China $1,711
Serbia $2,518

China ($465–$1,222) and Serbia ($758–$1,541) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 36% less than in Serbia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Serbia 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$9.78 RSD 1,024

-69.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$48.02 RSD 5,029

-54.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$11.31 RSD 1,184

-54.02%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$2.28 RSD 239

30.26%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$2.29 RSD 240

-79.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.80 RSD 188

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$2.79 RSD 292

-61.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$3.36 RSD 352

-32.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.33 RSD 139

35.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$0.87 RSD 91.5

93.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.14 RSD 224

-57.01%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$2.52 RSD 264

-36.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$9.55 RSD 1,001

40.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$6.87 RSD 720

-51.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$13.15 RSD 1,378

-13.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$1.36 RSD 142

33.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$1.77 RSD 185

-25.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$1.64 RSD 172

-9.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$2.30 RSD 241

-44.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.91 RSD 95.2

-21.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.66 RSD 69.6

40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$0.72 RSD 75.3

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.69 RSD 72.4

-18.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$4.48 RSD 469

-15.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$6.62 RSD 694

83.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$0.80 RSD 84.2

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$1.54 RSD 161

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.73 RSD 76.3

-60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$14.51 RSD 1,520

22.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$1.93 RSD 202

-22.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.96 RSD 101

-61.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$9.31 RSD 976

-23.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.81 RSD 190

-30.39%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$30.8K RSD 3.2M

-36.79%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$24.2K RSD 2.5M

-27.60%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$181 RSD 19.0K

-69.89%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$21.31 RSD 2,233

-59.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$28.51 RSD 2,986

-61.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$34.15 RSD 3,577

19.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$14.40 RSD 1,508

0.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$6.86 RSD 718

-1.17%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$326 RSD 34.2K

58.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$8,738 RSD 915.2K

126.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$97.8 RSD 10.2K

-52.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$42.81 RSD 4,484

-16.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$106 RSD 11.1K

-27.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$124 RSD 13.0K

-35.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$497 RSD 52.1K

-22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$367 RSD 38.4K

-36.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$858 RSD 89.9K

-4.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$643 RSD 67.3K

-29.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$2,912 RSD 305.0K

61.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$2,053 RSD 215.0K

15.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$930 RSD 97.4K

17.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.85

-28.66%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Serbia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Serbia

$367 29.9% 56.4% $132

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Serbia

$214 17.5% 2% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Serbia

$167 13.6% 55% $59

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Serbia

$177 14.4% 100% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Serbia

$231 18.8% 211% $157

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Serbia

$48 3.9% 11.9% $6.5

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Serbia

$24 2% 8.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $331 in Serbia. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $806 in Belgrade.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $776 in Serbia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in Serbia.

Dining out costs 68% more in Serbia.

Public transport is 44% more expensive in Serbia.

Salaries are 13% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇷🇸 Serbia

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

6,647,003

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.55 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Serbia 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Serbia

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 Serbia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,227 in Serbia, China comes out about 36% 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 $331 in Serbia 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.