Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poland and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,547 in Poland, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Poland
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Poland Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇵🇱 Poland

$1,547

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,547 in Poland versus $800 in China.

Poland $1,547
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,218 in Poland versus $1,266 in China.

Poland $2,218
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,889 in Poland versus $1,731 in China.

Poland $2,889
China $1,731

Poland ($1,127–$2,051) and China ($462–$1,256) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Poland is roughly 93% more expensive than in China on average.

Poland (14% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.33 zł 40.15

$2.92 ¥19.50

253.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.22 zł 187

$22.45 ¥150

114.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 zł 34.97

$5.33 ¥35.65

68.86%

Cappuccino

$3.71 zł 14.41

$3.04 ¥20.34

22.04%

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

$2.08 zł 8.10

$0.48 ¥3.23

333.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 zł 7.14

$0.30 ¥2.02

513.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 zł 14.52

$1.07 ¥7.12

249.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 zł 16.16

$2.26 ¥15.11

84.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 zł 4.01

$1.75 ¥11.70

-41.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 zł 5.22

$1.62 ¥10.80

-17.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 zł 5.54

$0.99 ¥6.63

44.44%

Eggs

$3.41 zł 13.25

$1.56 ¥10.44

118.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 zł 32.99

$13.25 ¥88.6

-35.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 zł 25.91

$3.37 ¥22.50

97.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 zł 47.75

$11.39 ¥76.2

7.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.56

$1.82 ¥12.19

-35.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.53

$1.25 ¥8.34

34.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.84

$1.55 ¥10.39

13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 zł 11.27

$1.28 ¥8.55

126.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 zł 3.49

$0.71 ¥4.72

26.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 zł 3.85

$0.86 ¥5.75

15.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 zł 5.12

$0.65 ¥4.36

103.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 zł 2.45

$0.59 ¥3.97

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 zł 22.07

$3.76 ¥25.14

51.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 zł 26.45

$11.76 ¥78.6

-42.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 zł 4.43

$0.91 ¥6.11

25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 zł 6.09

$1.62 ¥10.86

-3.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 zł 4.50

$0.31 ¥2.10

274.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.96 zł 116

$22.75 ¥152

31.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 zł 8.87

$1.52 ¥10.17

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 zł 3.96

$0.37 ¥2.50

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.06 zł 50.8

$7.28 ¥48.66

79.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 zł 6.33

$1.25 ¥8.38

30.40%

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

$30.6K zł 119.0K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

57.91%

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

$28.4K zł 110.5K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

66.20%

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

$293 zł 1,138

$55.5 ¥371

427.93%

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

$9.32 zł 36.19

$8.29 ¥55.4

12.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.23 zł 66.9

$10.97 ¥73.3

57.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.55 zł 150

$40.38 ¥270

-4.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.96 zł 101

$14.76 ¥98.7

75.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 zł 29.17

$6.76 ¥45.18

11.09%

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

$426 zł 1,654

$465 ¥3,108

-8.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,913 zł 34.6K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-54.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 zł 320

$46.32 ¥310

77.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.26 zł 149

$36.30 ¥243

5.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 zł 348

$76.3 ¥510

17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 zł 385

$78.8 ¥527

25.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$708 zł 2,752

$396 ¥2,646

79.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 zł 2,252

$240 ¥1,604

141.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 zł 4,493

$822 ¥5,499

40.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 zł 3,466

$466 ¥3,116

91.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,641 zł 14.1K

$4,544 ¥30.4K

-19.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,529 zł 9,825

$2,282 ¥15.3K

10.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,635 zł 6,352

$1,075 ¥7,188

52.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

3.46

96.53%

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

Last update for Poland: October 17, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Poland

$580 37.5%

China

$240 30% 58.6% $340

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Poland

$320 20.7%

China

$75 9.3% 76.6% $245

Groceries & Markets

Poland

$216 14%

China

$209 26.1% 3.5% $7.5

Eating Out

Poland

$197 12.7%

China

$89 11.1% 54.9% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Poland

$139 9%

China

$107 13.4% 23.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Poland

$54 3.5%

China

$54 6.7% 0.6% $0.3

Getting Around

Poland

$42 2.7%

China

$27 3.4% 34.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $619 in Poland, $299 in China. Capital cities: $1,173 in Warsaw vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,348 in Poland, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 107% higher in Poland.

Dining out costs 95% more in Poland.

Public transport is 76% more expensive in Poland.

Salaries are 55% higher in Poland, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Poland

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

6 h ahead of Poland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,382,576

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Poland China 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Poland
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

Poland vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,547 in Poland, there's a 93% 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 $619 in Poland 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 Poland 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; Poland may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.