Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Yemen

Name: Yemen
Address: YE

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $1,060 in Yemen, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. The total is higher in Yemen despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Yemen
Learn more

Yemen Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Yemen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in China versus $1,060 in Yemen.

China $793
Yemen $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,261 in China versus $1,741 in Yemen.

China $1,261
Yemen $1,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in China versus $2,421 in Yemen.

China $1,730
Yemen $2,421

Internal cost variation is higher in Yemen: monthly costs span $91.0 to $1,387, compared to $466–$1,244 in China. City choice carries more weight in Yemen.

Living in China costs about 25% less than in Yemen on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 41% lower, Yemen 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.76

$8.06 YER 1,901

-63.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 ¥152

$25.83 YER 6,093

-11.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.70

$10.45 YER 2,465

-48.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 YER 828

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 YER 1,217

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.35

$3.60 YER 849

-15.56%

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

$0.48 ¥3.22

$1.71 YER 403

-71.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.94 YER 223

-70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$3.01 YER 709

-40.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥11.28

$1.31 YER 309

29.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$4.33 YER 1,021

-76.91%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$5.17 YER 1,220

-69.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.8

$11.04 YER 2,603

21.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.28

$10.07 YER 2,376

-65.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$29.64 YER 6,992

-61.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$5.91 YER 1,393

-69.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$2.30 YER 543

-45.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.92

$4.37 YER 1,032

-66.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$2.90 YER 685

-54.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$2.53 YER 597

-71.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$2.50 YER 590

-62.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.85 YER 201

-28.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$1.00 YER 237

-42.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.52 YER 594

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 YER 421

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 YER 856

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.65

$5.19 YER 1,224

-26.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ¥79.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.33

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.41 YER 96.5

-24.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.36 ¥150

$85.9 YER 20.3K

-73.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$2.17 YER 511

-32.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$2.09 YER 492

-81.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.04

$7.42 YER 1,749

-5.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.75 YER 649

-54.91%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$16.9K YER 4.0M

13.68%

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

$17.3K ¥115.6K

$35.1K YER 8.3M

-50.78%

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

$54.3 ¥363

$78.3 YER 18.5K

-30.65%

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

$8.34 ¥55.7

$20.78 YER 4,901

-59.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$40.53 YER 9,560

-73.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 ¥270

$55.8 YER 13.2K

-27.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$14.57 YER 3,436

1.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 ¥46.08

$5.95 YER 1,402

15.80%

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

$457 ¥3,057

$65.1 YER 15.4K

602.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ¥134.2K

$1,649 YER 388.9K

1116.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.10 ¥302

$57.5 YER 13.6K

-21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 ¥238

$82.3 YER 19.4K

-56.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥521

$57.4 YER 13.6K

35.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 ¥522

$58.2 YER 13.7K

34.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 ¥2,615

$235 YER 55.5K

66.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,549

$131 YER 30.9K

76.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥5,457

$491 YER 115.8K

66.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,070

$339 YER 79.9K

35.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,585 ¥30.7K

$3,260 YER 769.1K

40.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,309 ¥15.4K

$701 YER 165.3K

229.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,084 ¥7,247

$273 YER 64.4K

297.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

11.12

-68.88%

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

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yemen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.2%

Yemen

$131 12.4% 43.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

China

$211 26.6%

Yemen

$357 33.7% 69% $146

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.4%

Yemen

$115 10.8% 7.9% $8.4

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Yemen

$150 14.1% 68.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.3%

Yemen

$140 13.2% 90.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Yemen

$68 6.4% 24.9% $13

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Yemen

$100 9.5% 272% $73

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $85.0 in Yemen. Capital cities: $940 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $219 in Sanaa.

National salary averages: $871 in China, $302 in Yemen. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 251% higher in China.

Dining out costs 43% more in Yemen.

Public transport is 89% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 188% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇾🇪 Yemen

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

19:42 7:42 PM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

28,250,420

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Yemen 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Yemen

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 Yemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $1,060 in Yemen, there's a 34% 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.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Yemen 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; Yemen may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.