Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Estonia and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $789 a month against $1,716 in Estonia, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Estonia
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Estonia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,716

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,716 in Estonia versus $789 in China.

Estonia $1,716
China $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,633 in Estonia versus $1,254 in China.

Estonia $2,633
China $1,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,549 in Estonia versus $1,720 in China.

Estonia $3,549
China $1,720

Internal cost variation is higher in Estonia: monthly costs span $999 to $2,490, compared to $468–$1,246 in China. City choice carries more weight in Estonia.

Living in Estonia is roughly 118% more expensive than in China on average.

Estonia (27% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 €15.18

$3.04 ¥20.25

457.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.9 €68.8

$22.12 ¥147

247.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 €10.19

$5.37 ¥35.75

112.10%

Cappuccino

$4.13 €3.70

$2.93 ¥19.53

40.96%

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

$2.61 €2.34

$0.48 ¥3.21

443.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.20

$0.30 ¥2.01

716.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.04

$1.07 ¥7.15

426.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 €6.11

$2.21 ¥14.69

209.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.80 ¥12.01

-39.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.62 ¥10.76

-7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$0.99 ¥6.58

171.72%

Eggs

$3.14 €2.81

$1.62 ¥10.80

93.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.34 €10.15

$13.44 ¥89.5

-15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 €8.12

$3.46 ¥23.04

162.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.48 €20.11

$11.15 ¥74.2

101.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.89 ¥12.60

10.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.31 ¥8.72

12.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.50 ¥9.97

64.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$1.34 ¥8.90

111.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.72 ¥4.77

15.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.93 ¥6.21

-6.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 €1.80

$0.65 ¥4.35

209.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.60 ¥3.98

73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.94

$3.82 ¥25.43

73.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 €9.11

$12.18 ¥81.1

-16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.91 ¥6.04

116.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.65 ¥10.96

32.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.29 ¥1.92

693.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.51 €29.99

$18.07 ¥120

85.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 €3.18

$1.53 ¥10.22

132.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.37 ¥2.46

197.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.98 €24.14

$6.69 ¥44.58

303.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.28 ¥8.50

53.12%

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

$27.5K €24.6K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

39.39%

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

$30.3K €27.1K

$17.5K ¥116.3K

73.44%

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

$310 €277

$55.3 ¥368

460.18%

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

$17.56 €15.71

$8.32 ¥55.4

111.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.12 €28.74

$11.12 ¥74.1

188.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 €42.93

$39.65 ¥264

21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.07 €33.17

$15.17 ¥101

144.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 €9.94

$6.65 ¥44.27

67.07%

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

$519 €464

$514 ¥3,425

0.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$34.9K ¥232.5K

-66.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.1

$45.85 ¥305

136.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €47.02

$35.41 ¥236

48.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.0

$76.0 ¥506

38.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$80.0 ¥533

54.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 €590

$380 ¥2,528

73.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 €429

$232 ¥1,543

106.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 €1,097

$836 ¥5,565

46.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$854 €764

$462 ¥3,075

84.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,589

$4,743 ¥31.6K

-15.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,893 €2,588

$2,383 ¥15.9K

21.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,998 €1,787

$1,117 ¥7,437

78.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

3.45

6.67%

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

Last update for Estonia: November 1, 2026

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Estonia

$479 27.9%

China

$232 29.4% 51.6% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Estonia

$360 21%

China

$75 9.5% 79.2% $285

Groceries & Markets

Estonia

$299 17.4%

China

$212 26.8% 29.2% $87

Eating Out

Estonia

$281 16.4%

China

$89 11.2% 68.5% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Estonia

$175 10.2%

China

$107 13.5% 39.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Estonia

$70 4.1%

China

$53 6.7% 24.6% $17

Getting Around

Estonia

$52 3%

China

$23 2.9% 56.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $576 in Estonia, $298 in China. Capital cities: $789 in Tallinn vs $942 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,446 in Estonia, $881 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 93% higher in Estonia.

Dining out costs 241% more in Estonia.

Public transport is 50% more expensive in Estonia.

Salaries are 64% higher in Estonia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Estonia

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

6 h ahead of Estonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,374,687

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Estonia China 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Estonia
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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

Estonia vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $789 per month in China and $1,716 in Estonia, China comes out about 54% 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 $576 in Estonia 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.