Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montenegro and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,309 in Montenegro, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Montenegro
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Montenegro Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,309

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,309 in Montenegro versus $800 in China.

Montenegro $1,309
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,062 in Montenegro versus $1,266 in China.

Montenegro $2,062
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,816 in Montenegro versus $1,731 in China.

Montenegro $2,816
China $1,731

Montenegro ($986–$1,651) and China ($462–$1,256) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Montenegro is roughly 64% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Montenegro 3% lower, China 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.41 €10.15

$2.92 ¥19.50

290.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 €44.56

$22.45 ¥150

123.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €9.98

$5.33 ¥35.65

110.51%

Cappuccino

$2.57 €2.28

$3.04 ¥20.34

-15.46%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$0.48 ¥3.23

408.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.38

$0.30 ¥2.02

420.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.76

$1.07 ¥7.12

189.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.26 ¥15.11

51.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.75 ¥11.70

-29.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 €0.91

$1.62 ¥10.80

-36.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.99 ¥6.63

113.13%

Eggs

$3.22 €2.86

$1.56 ¥10.44

106.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 €7.63

$13.25 ¥88.6

-35.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 €6.68

$3.37 ¥22.50

123.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$11.39 ¥76.2

3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.82 ¥12.19

-25.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.25 ¥8.34

40.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.55 ¥10.39

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$1.28 ¥8.55

93.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.71 ¥4.72

40.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$0.86 ¥5.75

29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.65 ¥4.36

138.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.59 ¥3.97

42.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 €3.68

$3.76 ¥25.14

10.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 €5.01

$11.76 ¥78.6

-52.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.91 ¥6.11

19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.62 ¥10.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.31 ¥2.10

341.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.17 €29.50

$22.75 ¥152

45.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.52 ¥10.17

-28.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.37 ¥2.50

197.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.25 €10.89

$7.28 ¥48.66

68.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.25 ¥8.38

44.00%

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

$30.4K €27.0K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

56.62%

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

$24.6K €21.9K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

43.91%

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

$128 €114

$55.5 ¥371

131.54%

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

$16.73 €14.88

$8.29 ¥55.4

101.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.82 €28.30

$10.97 ¥73.3

190.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.57 €39.65

$40.38 ¥270

10.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.52 €12.02

$14.76 ¥98.7

-8.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 €5.03

$6.76 ¥45.18

-16.42%

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

$345 €307

$465 ¥3,108

-25.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,572 €7,625

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-56.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.7 €70.9

$46.32 ¥310

72.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.96 €34.65

$36.30 ¥243

7.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 €83.9

$76.3 ¥510

23.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$78.8 ¥527

44.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 €564

$396 ¥2,646

60.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 €418

$240 ¥1,604

95.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 €1,052

$822 ¥5,499

43.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$923 €821

$466 ¥3,116

98.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,204 €2,850

$4,544 ¥30.4K

-29.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,316 €2,060

$2,282 ¥15.3K

1.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,043 €928

$1,075 ¥7,188

-2.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.38

3.46

55.49%

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

Last update for Montenegro: October 20, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montenegro

$470 35.9%

China

$240 30% 48.9% $230

Groceries & Markets

Montenegro

$220 16.8%

China

$209 26.1% 5.2% $11

Eating Out

Montenegro

$194 14.8%

China

$89 11.1% 54.2% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montenegro

$177 13.5%

China

$75 9.3% 57.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Montenegro

$147 11.2%

China

$107 13.4% 27.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Montenegro

$56 4.3%

China

$54 6.7% 3.6% $2

Getting Around

Montenegro

$45 3.5%

China

$27 3.4% 39.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $626 in Montenegro, $299 in China. Capital cities: $638 in Podgorica vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $910 in Montenegro, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 109% higher in Montenegro.

Dining out costs 90% more in Montenegro.

Public transport is 124% more expensive in Montenegro.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Montenegro

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

7 h ahead of Montenegro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,213

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

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Between locations

Montenegro China 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montenegro
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

Montenegro vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,309 in Montenegro, there's a 64% 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 $626 in Montenegro and $299 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 Montenegro 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; Montenegro may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.