Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ireland and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $793 a month against $2,960 in Ireland, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Ireland
Learn more

Ireland Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,960

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,960 in Ireland versus $793 in China.

Ireland $2,960
China $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,217 in Ireland versus $1,261 in China.

Ireland $4,217
China $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,475 in Ireland versus $1,730 in China.

Ireland $5,475
China $1,730

Internal cost variation is higher in Ireland: monthly costs span $1,755 to $3,729, compared to $466–$1,244 in China. City choice carries more weight in Ireland.

Living in Ireland is roughly 273% more expensive than in China on average.

Ireland (119% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 €19.67

$2.96 ¥19.74

646.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €79.4

$22.74 ¥152

292.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.49 €11.11

$5.34 ¥35.65

133.90%

Cappuccino

$4.56 €4.06

$3.04 ¥20.32

50.00%

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

$2.75 €2.45

$0.48 ¥3.22

472.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.28 ¥1.84

685.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 €6.10

$1.03 ¥6.91

566.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 €6.06

$2.27 ¥15.14

200.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.80 ¥12.01

-12.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.69 ¥11.26

33.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.00 ¥6.68

87.00%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.91

$1.56 ¥10.41

182.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 €10.01

$13.44 ¥89.7

-16.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 €10.13

$3.48 ¥23.25

227.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 €12.68

$11.49 ¥76.7

24.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.79 ¥11.98

66.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.26 ¥8.40

79.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$1.48 ¥9.91

116.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 €4.01

$1.31 ¥8.75

244.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.72 ¥4.83

194.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.93 ¥6.23

62.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 €1.24

$0.61 ¥4.10

129.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$0.58 ¥3.89

244.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.21 €17.98

$3.84 ¥25.61

426.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.27 €11.80

$11.87 ¥79.3

11.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 €3.10

$0.86 ¥5.71

305.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 €3.30

$1.69 ¥11.31

119.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.31 ¥2.07

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 €96.8

$22.36 ¥149

386.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.89

$1.47 ¥9.81

273.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.38 ¥2.52

305.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €29.92

$7.03 ¥46.97

378.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.24 ¥8.31

66.94%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

102.61%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$17.3K ¥115.5K

120.76%

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

$243 €216

$54.3 ¥362

347.04%

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

$22.59 €20.10

$8.34 ¥55.7

170.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.73

$10.77 ¥71.9

377.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 €49.83

$40.39 ¥270

38.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.95 €18.63

$14.77 ¥98.7

41.84%

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 €12.11

$6.89 ¥46.01

97.68%

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

$1,116 €992

$457 ¥3,053

143.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$20.1K ¥134.0K

-40.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 €88.2

$45.10 ¥301

119.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.25 €40.25

$35.65 ¥238

26.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$77.9 ¥520

33.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$78.0 ¥521

50.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 €1,558

$391 ¥2,611

347.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 €1,402

$232 ¥1,547

580.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,767 €2,461

$816 ¥5,449

238.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,388 €2,124

$459 ¥3,066

419.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,961 €4,412

$4,585 ¥30.6K

8.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 €3,529

$2,309 ¥15.4K

71.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,416 €3,038

$1,084 ¥7,237

215.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

3.46

20.52%

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

Last update for Ireland: October 11, 2026

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ireland

$1.6K 53.3%

China

$232 29.2% 85.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Ireland

$351 11.9%

China

$211 26.6% 39.8% $140

Eating Out

Ireland

$337 11.4%

China

$89 11.2% 73.6% $248

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ireland

$317 10.7%

China

$73 9.3% 76.8% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Ireland

$165 5.6%

China

$107 13.4% 35.4% $58

Getting Around

Ireland

$131 4.4%

China

$27 3.4% 79.4% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Ireland

$83 2.8%

China

$54 6.8% 34.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,561 in Ireland, $298 in China. Capital cities: $2,503 in Dublin vs $940 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $3,213 in Ireland, $871 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 424% higher in Ireland.

Dining out costs 310% more in Ireland.

Public transport is 229% more expensive in Ireland.

Salaries are 269% higher in Ireland.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Ireland

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

15:06 3:06 PM

7 h ahead of Ireland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,149,139

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ireland China 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ireland
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

Ireland vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $2,960 in Ireland, there's a 273% 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 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 $1,561 in Ireland and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Ireland 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: China wins on affordability; Ireland may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.