Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Romania and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,133 in Romania, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Romania
Learn more

Romania Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,133

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,133 in Romania versus $791 in China.

Romania $1,133
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,691 in Romania versus $1,251 in China.

Romania $1,691
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,250 in Romania versus $1,711 in China.

Romania $2,250
China $1,711

Romania ($742–$1,423) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Romania is roughly 43% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Romania 17% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.41 RON 49.74

$2.98 ¥19.78

249.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.28 RON 197

$22.09 ¥147

86.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 RON 34.73

$5.20 ¥34.55

39.81%

Cappuccino

$2.72 RON 13.00

$2.97 ¥19.71

-8.42%

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

$2.02 RON 9.63

$0.48 ¥3.18

320.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.97

$0.30 ¥2.00

456.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 RON 10.75

$1.08 ¥7.17

108.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 RON 15.33

$2.28 ¥15.13

40.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.30

$1.80 ¥11.94

-15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 RON 5.49

$1.68 ¥11.13

-31.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 RON 7.59

$0.92 ¥6.13

72.83%

Eggs

$3.23 RON 15.45

$1.61 ¥10.72

100.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 RON 38.38

$13.38 ¥88.9

-39.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 RON 30.52

$3.35 ¥22.25

90.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 RON 48.85

$11.35 ¥75.4

-9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 RON 5.80

$1.82 ¥12.11

-33.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.34

$1.31 ¥8.68

17.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.38

$1.49 ¥9.88

3.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 RON 10.05

$1.27 ¥8.46

65.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.75

$0.71 ¥4.73

9.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.13

$0.93 ¥6.20

-7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 4.03

$0.62 ¥4.11

35.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.56 ¥3.73

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 RON 28.91

$3.78 ¥25.12

60.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 RON 29.22

$12.13 ¥80.6

-49.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 RON 5.23

$0.83 ¥5.53

32.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.50

$1.68 ¥11.19

-6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$0.29 ¥1.91

148.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.15 RON 111

$17.83 ¥118

29.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.81

$1.49 ¥9.88

-46.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$0.37 ¥2.49

94.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 RON 33.46

$7.10 ¥47.17

-1.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.52

$1.26 ¥8.36

41.27%

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

$28.7K RON 137.3K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

47.77%

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

$25.3K RON 121.1K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

44.55%

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

$160 RON 762

$54.6 ¥363

192.39%

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

$7.98 RON 38.12

$8.73 ¥58.0

-8.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.83 RON 42.22

$11.07 ¥73.5

-20.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 RON 193

$40.77 ¥271

-0.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.47 RON 88.3

$14.48 ¥96.2

27.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 RON 35.13

$6.78 ¥45.05

8.41%

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

$473 RON 2,262

$517 ¥3,433

-8.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,477 RON 40.5K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-57.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 RON 332

$46.53 ¥309

49.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.71 RON 180

$35.66 ¥237

5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 RON 380

$77.0 ¥512

3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 RON 403

$80.3 ¥533

5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 RON 2,405

$386 ¥2,564

30.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 RON 1,794

$235 ¥1,558

60.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 RON 3,708

$822 ¥5,461

-5.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 RON 2,765

$453 ¥3,011

27.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,539 RON 12.1K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-45.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,819 RON 8,691

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-23.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,001 RON 4,782

$1,093 ¥7,264

-8.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.98

3.46

101.73%

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

Last update for Romania: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Romania

$375 33.2%

China

$235 29.6% 37.5% $141

Groceries & Markets

Romania

$203 17.9%

China

$210 26.5% 3.4% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Romania

$176 15.6%

China

$74 9.4% 57.8% $102

Eating Out

Romania

$170 15%

China

$88 11.1% 48.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Romania

$122 10.8%

China

$108 13.6% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Romania

$55 4.9%

China

$54 6.9% 1.4% $0.8

Getting Around

Romania

$30 2.7%

China

$22 2.8% 26.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $387 in Romania, $298 in China. Capital cities: $711 in Bucharest vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $857 in Romania, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 30% higher in Romania.

Dining out costs 86% more in Romania.

Public transport is 22% more expensive in Romania.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Romania

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

6 h ahead of Romania

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,053,815

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Romania China 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Romania
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

Romania vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,133 in Romania, China comes out about 30% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $387 in Romania 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.