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: $735 in Eritrea versus $712 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,093 in Eritrea versus $1,131 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Eritrea versus $1,549 in China.

Living in Eritrea is roughly 3% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Eritrea 45% lower, China 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.50 ERN 188

$2.77 ¥18.72

351.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.52 ERN 458

$24.05 ¥162

26.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 ERN 80.9

$4.73 ¥31.93

13.74%

Cappuccino

$0.79 ERN 11.94

$3.08 ¥20.78

-74.35%

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

$1.88 ERN 28.31

$0.44 ¥3.00

327.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ERN 20.47

$0.29 ¥1.98

368.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ERN 14.79

$1.01 ¥6.80

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ERN 29.34

$2.08 ¥14.03

-6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ERN 24.49

$1.83 ¥12.39

-10.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ERN 7.80

$1.62 ¥10.94

-67.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ERN 30.46

$0.97 ¥6.58

109.28%

Eggs

$4.43 ERN 66.6

$1.61 ¥10.90

175.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.91 ERN 43.74

$13.34 ¥90.1

-78.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.98 ERN 405

$3.37 ¥22.75

700.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 ERN 149

$10.68 ¥72.2

-6.84%

Apples (1kg)

$12.08 ERN 181

$1.81 ¥12.26

567.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ERN 18.87

$1.25 ¥8.44

0.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ERN 28.95

$1.46 ¥9.88

32.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 ERN 18.64

$1.15 ¥7.73

7.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 ERN 26.62

$0.73 ¥4.92

142.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ERN 15.59

$0.89 ¥5.99

16.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ERN 9.91

$0.60 ¥4.05

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ERN 32.78

$0.53 ¥3.59

311.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 ERN 30.78

$3.39 ¥22.93

-39.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.94 ERN 179

$11.73 ¥79.3

1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.78

$0.77 ¥5.23

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 ERN 18.05

$1.63 ¥10.98

-26.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ERN 2.21

$0.41 ¥2.77

-63.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.03 ERN 121

$21.24 ¥143

-62.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ERN 10.41

$1.35 ¥9.13

-48.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ERN 9.80

$0.36 ¥2.40

80.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 ERN 122

$6.70 ¥45.26

21.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 ERN 32.82

$1.18 ¥7.98

85.59%

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

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

$19.8K ¥133.4K

242.67%

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

$70.6K ERN 1.1M

$16.5K ¥111.7K

326.86%

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

$27.08 ERN 407

$51.7 ¥349

-47.66%

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

$67.2 ERN 1,009

$10.09 ¥68.2

566.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$199 ERN 2,982

$11.38 ¥76.9

1644.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.78 ERN 402

$39.24 ¥265

-31.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 ERN 111

$14.84 ¥100

-50.27%

Cinema Ticket

$1.08 ERN 16.22

$6.30 ¥42.56

-82.86%

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

$25.43 ERN 382

$414 ¥2,795

-93.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,660 ERN 24.9K

$17.4K ¥117.6K

-90.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 ERN 1,256

$46.77 ¥316

78.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.9 ERN 1,110

$33.08 ¥223

123.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$198 ERN 2,976

$70.9 ¥479

179.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 ERN 1,441

$74.5 ¥503

28.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ERN 7,218

$440 ¥2,972

9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ERN 6,099

$253 ¥1,707

60.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ERN 11.0K

$911 ¥6,153

-19.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 ERN 9,747

$531 ¥3,584

22.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,262 ERN 19.0K

$4,778 ¥32.3K

-73.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,251 ERN 33.8K

$2,403 ¥16.2K

-6.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 ERN 7,469

$1,058 ¥7,144

-52.99%

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: July 27, 2026

Last update for China: July 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $240 in Eritrea, $287 in China. Capital cities: $481 in Asmara vs $909 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,012 in Eritrea, $857 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 20% higher in China.

Dining out costs 40% more in China.

Public transport is 350% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 18% higher in Eritrea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Eritrea.

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 $873 per month in China and $735 in Eritrea, there's a 19% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Eritrea: 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 is consistently higher than in 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 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: Eritrea wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.