Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harbin and Neu-Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,165 a month against $1,896 in Neu-Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
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Harbin Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Neu-Ulm
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Neu-Ulm Living Index

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Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,165

/mo nomad

Neu-Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harbin and in Neu-Ulm

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Harbin and in Neu-Ulm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,165 per month in Harbin vs $1,896 in Neu-Ulm, rent included.

Harbin $1,165
Neu-Ulm $1,896

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Harbin vs $2,879 in Neu-Ulm, rent included.

Harbin $1,622
Neu-Ulm $2,879

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Harbin vs $3,862 in Neu-Ulm, rent included.

Harbin $2,080
Neu-Ulm $3,862

Harbin is about 39% cheaper than Neu-Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Harbin sits 14% below the global median, while Neu-Ulm is 39% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 ¥14.58

$16.97 €15.24

-87.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.66 ¥151

$66.1 €59.3

-65.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.26 ¥35.00

$12.42 €11.16

-57.65%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.87

$3.88 €3.48

-22.94%

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

$0.43 ¥2.89

$2.68 €2.41

-83.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$1.93 €1.73

-86.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$4.52 €4.06

-82.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$4.62 €4.15

-63.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ¥13.37

$1.40 €1.26

43.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 ¥13.21

$1.99 €1.79

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$4.12 €3.70

-76.21%

Eggs

$1.34 ¥8.91

$4.03 €3.62

-66.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 ¥60.9

$14.75 €13.25

-37.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.62 ¥17.43

$10.30 €9.25

-74.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.01 ¥79.9

$24.25 €21.79

-50.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.89

$3.23 €2.90

-49.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ¥9.08

$2.15 €1.93

-36.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.50

$2.17 €1.95

-41.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.32

$4.03 €3.62

-76.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.56

$1.14 €1.02

-53.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.69

$1.09 €0.98

33.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ¥2.91

$1.54 €1.39

-71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.08

$1.19 €1.07

-36.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 ¥16.63

$9.97 €8.96

-74.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ¥119

$5.46 €4.90

228.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$1.09 €0.98

-43.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.28

$1.52 €1.37

1.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$3.55 €3.19

-91.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.99 ¥73.1

$54.0 €48.54

-79.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.22

$3.89 €3.50

-64.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.21 €1.98

-85.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥24.55

$27.94 €25.10

-86.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.56

$2.12 €1.90

-39.15%

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

$19.5K ¥129.6K

$33.5K €30.1K

-41.83%

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

$15.4K ¥102.8K

$38.7K €34.7K

-60.06%

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

$76.9 ¥512

$264 €237

-70.85%

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

$14.82 ¥98.6

$33.18 €29.81

-55.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 ¥80.8

$51.6 €46.37

-76.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.4 ¥568

$38.89 €34.93

119.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.37 ¥202

$25.10 €22.54

21.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.10 ¥40.59

$13.62 €12.23

-55.21%

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

$298 ¥1,982

$354 €318

-15.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K ¥68.8K

$9,561 €8,589

8.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.72 ¥198

$45.00 €40.43

-33.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.43 ¥203

$55.2 €49.57

-44.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥482

$78.5 €70.5

-7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$305 ¥2,028

$149 €134

104.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥2,170

$795 €714

-58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ¥3,079

$642 €577

-27.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 ¥9,142

$1,125 €1,010

22.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥3,499

$1,144 €1,027

-54.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,262 ¥21.7K

$4,906 €4,407

-33.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,369 ¥9,108

$3,404 €3,057

-59.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 ¥3,917

$3,650 €3,279

-83.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

3.95

-0.76%

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

Last update for Harbin: October 24, 2026

Last update for Neu-Ulm: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harbin

$463 39.7%

Neu-Ulm

$642 33.9% 38.9% $180

Groceries & Markets

Harbin

$210 18%

Neu-Ulm

$338 17.8% 61.4% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Harbin

$197 16.9%

Neu-Ulm

$148 7.8% 25% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harbin

$104 8.9%

Neu-Ulm

$349 18.4% 236% $245

Sport & Entertainment

Harbin

$98 8.4%

Neu-Ulm

$66 3.5% 32.2% $31

Eating Out

Harbin

$79 6.8%

Neu-Ulm

$270 14.2% 241% $191

Getting Around

Harbin

$15 1.3%

Neu-Ulm

$83 4.4% 448% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $326 in Harbin versus $795 in Neu-Ulm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Neu-Ulm are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Harbin versus $66 in Neu-Ulm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $338 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Harbin

🇩🇪 Neu-Ulm

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

7 h behind Harbin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,009,854

62,610

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harbin Neu-Ulm 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Harbin
Neu-Ulm

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

Harbin vs Neu-Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Neu-Ulm costs about 63% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,747 per month in Harbin and $2,844 in Neu-Ulm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harbin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $326 there versus $795 in Neu-Ulm.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Harbin and $66 in Neu-Ulm. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,165 in Harbin and $1,896 in Neu-Ulm. That makes Harbin about 39% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,165 in Harbin and $1,896 in Neu-Ulm. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Harbin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Harbin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Neu-Ulm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.