Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eritrea and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,378 in Eritrea, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. The total is higher in Eritrea despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Eritrea
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Eritrea Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,378

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Eritrea 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 Eritrea and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Eritrea versus $791 in China.

Eritrea $1,378
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,160 in Eritrea versus $1,251 in China.

Eritrea $2,160
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,943 in Eritrea versus $1,711 in China.

Eritrea $2,943
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,387–$1,387 in Eritrea. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Eritrea is roughly 74% more expensive than in China on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.02 ERN 316

$2.98 ¥19.81

605.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.23 ERN 515

$22.09 ¥147

54.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.56 ERN 83.8

$5.20 ¥34.60

6.92%

Cappuccino

$0.73 ERN 10.98

$2.97 ¥19.74

-75.42%

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

$1.03 ERN 15.50

$0.48 ¥3.19

114.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ERN 15.46

$0.30 ¥2.01

243.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ERN 14.37

$1.08 ¥7.18

-12.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ERN 23.45

$1.80 ¥11.96

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ERN 34.81

$0.92 ¥6.13

151.09%

Eggs

$4.34 ERN 65.4

$1.61 ¥10.73

169.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 ERN 44.15

$13.38 ¥89.1

-78.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.61 ERN 400

$3.35 ¥22.28

694.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.89 ERN 149

$11.35 ¥75.5

-12.86%

Apples (1kg)

$12.39 ERN 187

$1.82 ¥12.12

580.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ERN 18.86

$1.31 ¥8.69

-4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ERN 29.83

$1.49 ¥9.89

32.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ERN 17.41

$1.27 ¥8.47

-8.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 ERN 27.86

$0.71 ¥4.73

160.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ERN 14.45

$0.93 ¥6.21

3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ERN 34.37

$0.56 ¥3.74

307.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ERN 179

$12.13 ¥80.7

-2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.31

$0.83 ¥5.54

22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.30

$1.68 ¥11.21

-39.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 ERN 1.72

$0.29 ¥1.92

-62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 ERN 120

$17.83 ¥119

-55.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ERN 9.38

$0.37 ¥2.49

67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 ERN 150

$7.10 ¥47.24

40.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 ERN 37.28

$1.26 ¥8.37

96.83%

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

$66.4K ERN 999.6K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

241.56%

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

$70.5K ERN 1.1M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

302.12%

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

$25.16 ERN 379

$54.6 ¥363

-53.89%

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

$68.1 ERN 1,024

$8.73 ¥58.1

679.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$201 ERN 3,031

$11.07 ¥73.6

1719.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.52 ERN 399

$40.77 ¥271

-34.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ERN 77.0

$14.48 ¥96.4

-64.64%

Cinema Ticket

$1.19 ERN 17.89

$6.78 ¥45.12

-82.45%

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

$25.46 ERN 383

$517 ¥3,438

-95.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,622 ERN 39.5K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-86.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 ERN 2,027

$46.53 ¥310

189.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 ERN 1,818

$35.66 ¥237

238.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$198 ERN 2,981

$77.0 ¥512

157.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 ERN 2,242

$80.3 ¥534

85.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ERN 3,748

$386 ¥2,567

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 ERN 3,043

$235 ¥1,561

-13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 ERN 6,716

$822 ¥5,469

-45.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ERN 6,322

$453 ¥3,015

-7.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,276 ERN 19.2K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-72.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,295 ERN 34.5K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-3.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ERN 7,606

$1,093 ¥7,274

-53.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

3.46

434.68%

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

Last update for Eritrea: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Eritrea

$363 * 26.3%

China

$210 26.5% 42.1% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eritrea

$295 21.4%

China

$74 9.4% 74.8% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Eritrea

$271 19.7%

China

$108 13.6% 60.3% $163

Eating Out

Eritrea

$207 * 15%

China

$88 11.1% 57.4% $119

Accommodation & Living

Eritrea

$202 14.7%

China

$235 29.6% 16% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Eritrea

$29 2.1%

China

$54 6.9% 88% $25

Getting Around

Eritrea

$12 * 0.8%

China

$22 2.8% 93.6% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $252 in Eritrea, $298 in China. Capital cities: $252 in Asmara vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in China.

Dining out costs 55% more in Eritrea.

Public transport is 125% more expensive in China.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Eritrea

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

01:13 1:13 AM

5 h ahead of Eritrea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,497,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.64 USD

100 ERN = 5.97 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.05 ERN (100 ERN = 6.64 USD). 1 EUR = 16.75 ERN (100 ERN = 5.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Eritrea China 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Eritrea
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

Eritrea vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,378 in Eritrea, there’s a 74% 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.

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