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: $689 in Eritrea versus $720 in China.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,083 in Eritrea versus $1,148 in China.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,477 in Eritrea versus $1,576 in China.

Living in Eritrea costs about 4% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Eritrea 50% lower, China 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.04 ERN 316

$2.93 ¥19.60

618.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 ERN 520

$22.72 ¥152

52.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 ERN 82.3

$5.07 ¥33.95

8.09%

Cappuccino

$0.73 ERN 10.94

$2.94 ¥19.70

-75.17%

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

$0.97 ERN 14.58

$0.48 ¥3.21

102.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ERN 14.85

$0.30 ¥2.02

230.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ERN 14.37

$1.06 ¥7.10

-9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ¥15.07

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ERN 23.43

$1.79 ¥11.99

-12.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.35

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 ERN 35.02

$0.96 ¥6.45

142.71%

Eggs

$4.47 ERN 67.1

$1.61 ¥10.79

177.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.98 ERN 44.72

$13.60 ¥91.1

-78.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.38 ERN 396

$3.41 ¥22.84

673.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ERN 152

$11.07 ¥74.2

-8.85%

Apples (1kg)

$12.07 ERN 181

$1.81 ¥12.09

566.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ERN 19.75

$1.30 ¥8.74

0.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ERN 30.63

$1.48 ¥9.91

37.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ERN 17.16

$1.30 ¥8.72

-12.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 ERN 26.74

$0.72 ¥4.82

147.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ERN 13.55

$0.94 ¥6.31

-4.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 ERN 32.35

$0.56 ¥3.73

283.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.67 ¥24.58

Wine (Bottle)

$12.23 ERN 184

$11.90 ¥79.7

2.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.25

$0.83 ¥5.56

22.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.26

$1.65 ¥11.08

-38.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 ERN 1.78

$0.29 ¥1.92

-58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.10 ERN 122

$22.61 ¥151

-64.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.72

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ERN 8.72

$0.34 ¥2.31

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 ERN 151

$7.27 ¥48.72

38.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.57 ERN 38.65

$1.23 ¥8.26

108.94%

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

$66.9K ERN 1.0M

$19.5K ¥130.9K

242.48%

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

$69.4K ERN 1.0M

$17.2K ¥115.5K

302.19%

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

$25.13 ERN 377

$55.5 ¥371

-54.69%

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

$67.5 ERN 1,014

$8.51 ¥57.0

693.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$199 ERN 2,983

$10.81 ¥72.4

1737.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.35 ERN 411

$40.02 ¥268

-31.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.86 ERN 73.0

$14.80 ¥99.1

-67.16%

Cinema Ticket

$1.22 ERN 18.32

$6.73 ¥45.09

-81.87%

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

$25.50 ERN 383

$454 ¥3,042

-94.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,585 ERN 38.8K

$19.5K ¥130.8K

-86.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 ERN 2,067

$44.95 ¥301

206.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$122 ERN 1,835

$35.81 ¥240

241.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$200 ERN 3,001

$76.8 ¥514

160.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 ERN 2,256

$77.3 ¥518

94.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 ERN 3,828

$385 ¥2,581

-33.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 ERN 3,003

$242 ¥1,623

-17.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ERN 6,808

$837 ¥5,603

-45.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ERN 6,364

$474 ¥3,177

-10.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,256 ERN 18.9K

$4,619 ¥30.9K

-72.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,293 ERN 34.4K

$2,316 ¥15.5K

-1.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ERN 7,383

$1,062 ¥7,110

-53.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

3.47

433.14%

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

Last update for Eritrea: September 5, 2026

Last update for China: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $123 in Eritrea, $295 in China. Capital cities: $247 in Asmara vs $957 in Beijing (Pekin).

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in China.

Dining out costs 24% more in China.

Public transport is 325% 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 $852 per month in China and $689 in Eritrea, there's a 24% 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.