Cost of Living Comparison Between Eritrea and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Eritrea and China

Name: China
Address: CN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $728 in Eritrea versus $711 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,075 in Eritrea versus $1,131 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,422 in Eritrea versus $1,551 in China.

Living in Eritrea is roughly 2% more expensive than China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Eritrea 46% lower, China 47% lower.

Internal cost variation is higher in Eritrea: monthly costs span $0 to $1,455, compared to $523–$1,194 in China. City choice carries more weight in Eritrea.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 ERN 183

$2.86 ¥19.51

327.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.10 ERN 452

$23.89 ¥163

25.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ERN 83.9

$4.77 ¥32.61

17.19%

Cappuccino

$0.74 ERN 11.15

$3.08 ¥21.02

-75.97%

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

$1.79 ERN 26.83

$0.44 ¥2.99

306.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 ERN 19.79

$0.27 ¥1.84

388.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ERN 15.20

$0.93 ¥6.36

8.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ERN 29.80

$2.04 ¥13.96

-2.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ERN 24.50

$1.78 ¥12.16

-8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ERN 7.77

$1.60 ¥10.94

-67.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 ERN 29.28

$0.98 ¥6.70

98.98%

Eggs

$4.58 ERN 68.7

$1.55 ¥10.60

195.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.08 ERN 46.27

$13.22 ¥90.3

-76.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.44 ERN 397

$3.39 ¥23.13

679.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ERN 152

$10.52 ¥71.9

-3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$12.08 ERN 181

$1.84 ¥12.59

556.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ERN 19.64

$1.30 ¥8.89

0.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ERN 28.92

$1.47 ¥10.03

31.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ERN 18.82

$1.15 ¥7.83

8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 ERN 27.15

$0.72 ¥4.94

151.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ERN 16.48

$0.94 ¥6.40

17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ERN 10.54

$0.61 ¥4.16

14.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 ERN 32.41

$0.53 ¥3.61

307.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 ERN 30.67

$3.54 ¥24.15

-42.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.84 ERN 178

$11.89 ¥81.2

-0.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ERN 14.81

$0.79 ¥5.39

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ERN 17.06

$1.69 ¥11.51

-32.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ERN 2.22

$0.44 ¥2.98

-65.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.84 ERN 118

$20.98 ¥143

-62.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ERN 10.27

$1.38 ¥9.39

-50.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ERN 9.64

$0.35 ¥2.40

82.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 ERN 127

$6.75 ¥46.13

25.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 ERN 32.15

$1.16 ¥7.93

84.48%

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

$67.4K ERN 1.0M

$19.7K ¥134.8K

241.61%

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

$69.4K ERN 1.0M

$16.9K ¥115.8K

309.66%

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

$27.68 ERN 415

$50.3 ¥344

-44.97%

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

$68.4 ERN 1,026

$10.04 ¥68.5

581.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$201 ERN 3,020

$11.39 ¥77.8

1667.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.54 ERN 398

$40.16 ¥274

-33.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.72 ERN 116

$14.68 ¥100

-47.41%

Cinema Ticket

$1.13 ERN 16.99

$6.21 ¥42.39

-81.80%

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

$25.25 ERN 379

$402 ¥2,746

-93.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,656 ERN 24.8K

$17.4K ¥119.1K

-90.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 ERN 1,229

$46.39 ¥317

76.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.7 ERN 1,121

$32.60 ¥223

129.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$199 ERN 2,989

$71.3 ¥487

179.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 ERN 1,434

$74.8 ¥511

27.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ERN 7,040

$429 ¥2,931

9.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 ERN 5,965

$261 ¥1,783

52.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 ERN 10.7K

$915 ¥6,253

-22.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 ERN 9,820

$545 ¥3,725

20.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,288 ERN 19.3K

$5,127 ¥35.0K

-74.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,870 ERN 28.0K

$2,614 ¥17.9K

-28.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$509 ERN 7,633

$1,061 ¥7,244

-52.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

195.57%

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

Last update for Eritrea: April 14, 2026

Last update for China: April 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $236 in Eritrea, $287 in China. Capital cities: $473 in Asmara vs $914 in Beijing (Pekin).

Cost Highlights

Rent is 22% higher in China.

Dining out costs 31% more in China.

Public transport is 350% more expensive in China.

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

Eritrea vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $859 per month in China and $728 in Eritrea, there's a 18% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Eritrea is simply cheaper day-to-day: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in China beats Eritrea across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Eritrea, $1,000 covers most cities easily. In China, it works in regional areas but falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after. Eritrea wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.