Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croatia and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,579 in Croatia, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Croatia
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Croatia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,579

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Croatia and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Croatia and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,579 in Croatia versus $791 in China.

Croatia $1,579
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Croatia versus $1,251 in China.

Croatia $2,390
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,202 in Croatia versus $1,711 in China.

Croatia $3,202
China $1,711

Croatia ($1,114–$1,999) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Croatia is roughly 99% more expensive than in China on average.

Croatia (16% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.52 €12.11

$2.98 ¥19.81

353.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.0

$22.09 ¥147

208.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 €8.47

$5.20 ¥34.60

81.92%

Cappuccino

$2.45 €2.19

$2.97 ¥19.74

-17.51%

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

$3.07 €2.75

$0.48 ¥3.19

539.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.15

$0.30 ¥2.01

700.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.47

$1.08 ¥7.18

259.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.28 ¥15.15

98.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.80 ¥11.96

-32.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.68 ¥11.15

-10.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.54

$0.92 ¥6.13

207.61%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.40

$1.61 ¥10.73

136.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 €10.81

$13.38 ¥89.0

-9.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 €8.49

$3.35 ¥22.28

182.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.59 €12.17

$11.35 ¥75.5

19.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.82 ¥12.12

2.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.31 ¥8.69

32.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.49 ¥9.89

29.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.27 ¥8.47

94.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.71 ¥4.73

95.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.93 ¥6.21

35.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.10

$0.62 ¥4.12

96.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.56 ¥3.74

116.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$3.78 ¥25.15

51.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 €7.13

$12.13 ¥80.7

-34.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.83 ¥5.54

97.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.68 ¥11.21

29.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.29 ¥1.91

468.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 €45.26

$17.83 ¥119

183.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.33

$1.49 ¥9.89

149.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.37 ¥2.49

283.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.30 €17.28

$7.10 ¥47.23

171.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.26 ¥8.37

42.06%

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

$27.3K €24.5K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

40.47%

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

$24.9K €22.3K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

41.73%

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

$190 €170

$54.6 ¥363

247.89%

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

$21.64 €19.38

$8.73 ¥58.1

147.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.71 €32.88

$11.07 ¥73.6

231.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.55 €42.59

$40.77 ¥271

16.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.99 €13.43

$14.48 ¥96.4

3.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.23

$6.78 ¥45.12

35.55%

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

$334 €299

$517 ¥3,437

-35.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,005 €8,065

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-54.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 €87.8

$46.53 ¥310

110.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.02 €36.74

$35.66 ¥237

15.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €87.5

$77.0 ¥512

26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.6

$80.3 ¥534

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 €633

$386 ¥2,567

83.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 €498

$235 ¥1,561

136.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 €1,049

$822 ¥5,469

42.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 €809

$453 ¥3,015

99.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,338 €3,885

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-7.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,508 €3,142

$2,372 ¥15.8K

47.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,592 €1,426

$1,093 ¥7,274

45.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

3.46

7.23%

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

Last update for Croatia: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Croatia

$556 35.2%

China

$235 29.6% 57.8% $321

Groceries & Markets

Croatia

$272 17.3%

China

$210 26.5% 22.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Croatia

$248 15.7%

China

$74 9.4% 70% $174

Eating Out

Croatia

$216 13.7%

China

$88 11.1% 59.3% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Croatia

$152 9.6%

China

$108 13.6% 29.1% $44

Getting Around

Croatia

$68 4.3%

China

$22 2.8% 67.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Croatia

$66 4.2%

China

$54 6.9% 17.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $676 in Croatia, $298 in China. Capital cities: $888 in Zagreb vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,358 in Croatia, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 127% higher in Croatia.

Dining out costs 186% more in Croatia.

Public transport is 156% more expensive in Croatia.

Salaries are 56% higher in Croatia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Croatia

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

7 h ahead of Croatia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,871,833

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Croatia China 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Croatia
China

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

Croatia vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,579 in Croatia, China comes out about 50% 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.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $676 in Croatia 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.