Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Xi'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi'an: $735 a month against $889 in Serra, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
Learn more

Serra Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
Learn more

Xi'an Living Index

Jump to prices

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Serra and in Xi'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Serra versus $735 in Xi'an.

Serra $889
Xi'an $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Serra versus $1,141 in Xi'an.

Serra $1,317
Xi'an $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,744 in Serra versus $1,547 in Xi'an.

Serra $1,744
Xi'an $1,547

Living in Serra is roughly 21% more expensive than in Xi'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Serra 34% lower, Xi'an 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 R$24.16

$2.75 ¥18.39

73.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.99 R$117

$17.75 ¥119

29.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 R$41.58

$4.45 ¥29.72

84.27%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.57

$2.12 ¥14.13

-1.42%

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

$1.34 R$6.77

$0.44 ¥2.92

204.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.15

$0.29 ¥1.94

113.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.88

$1.46 ¥9.78

33.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.53

$1.45 ¥9.71

111.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.70

$1.43 ¥9.52

-20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.13

$1.76 ¥11.73

2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$0.91 ¥6.06

28.57%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.87

$1.49 ¥9.93

43.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$11.57 ¥77.2

-9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R$23.22

$3.97 ¥26.50

15.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 R$43.27

$10.37 ¥69.2

-17.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 R$14.53

$1.62 ¥10.82

77.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.14 ¥7.63

34.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.23 ¥8.20

48.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$1.32 ¥8.83

22.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.96

$0.64 ¥4.27

84.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.65

$0.69 ¥4.61

60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.58 ¥3.88

131.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.03

$0.59 ¥3.91

135.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$3.34 ¥22.33

-25.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 R$28.59

$9.75 ¥65.1

-42.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.76 ¥5.04

28.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R$16.59

$1.70 ¥11.33

92.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.93

$0.29 ¥1.93

234.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.18 R$239

$26.16 ¥175

80.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.30 ¥8.68

0.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.29 ¥1.91

289.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 R$34.95

$4.44 ¥29.65

55.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.30 ¥8.69

-16.92%

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

$23.5K R$119.2K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

20.36%

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

$33.8K R$171.1K

$17.9K ¥119.7K

88.34%

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

$158 R$803

$90.1 ¥602

75.78%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$6.23 ¥41.57

97.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$107

$10.79 ¥72.0

95.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$131

$29.47 ¥197

-12.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$21.25 ¥142

31.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$37.95

$5.98 ¥39.91

25.25%

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

$188 R$955

$701 ¥4,677

-73.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,726 R$34.1K

$17.3K ¥115.2K

-61.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R$279

$39.41 ¥263

39.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 R$259

$37.49 ¥250

36.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 R$462

$75.4 ¥503

20.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 R$377

$92.5 ¥618

-19.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,271

$313 ¥2,090

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 R$774

$180 ¥1,201

-15.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 R$2,261

$863 ¥5,764

-48.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 R$1,117

$346 ¥2,311

-36.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 R$4,917

$2,368 ¥15.8K

-59.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 R$2,852

$1,638 ¥10.9K

-65.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$559 R$2,833

$1,089 ¥7,270

-48.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

228.36%

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

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Xi'an: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$212 23.8%

Xi'an

$193 26.2% 9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$192 21.6%

Xi'an

$107 14.6% 44.1% $85

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$153 17.2%

Xi'an

$180 24.5% 17.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$122 13.8%

Xi'an

$110 15% 9.8% $12

Eating Out

Serra

$111 12.5%

Xi'an

$74 10.1% 33.7% $38

Getting Around

Serra

$58 6.5%

Xi'an

$30 4.1% 48.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$41 4.6%

Xi'an

$41 5.6% 1.5% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Serra and $313 in Xi'an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xi'an pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Serra vs $18.00 in Xi'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $193 per month, with Xi'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

11 h ahead of Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

12,183,280

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Serra Xi'an 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Serra
Xi'an

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

Serra vs Xi'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xi'an is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Xi'an. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $251 in Serra versus $313 in Xi'an. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Serra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Xi'an – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $23.00 in Serra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Xi'an gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Xi'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Serra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.