Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ukraine and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $823 in Ukraine, rent and utilities included – about $380 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ukraine outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in Ukraine
Learn more

Ukraine Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$823

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $823 in Ukraine versus $791 in China.

Ukraine $823
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,273 in Ukraine versus $1,251 in China.

Ukraine $1,273
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,724 in Ukraine versus $1,711 in China.

Ukraine $1,724
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $492–$1,052 in Ukraine. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Ukraine is roughly 4% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ukraine 40% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 ₴355

$2.98 ¥19.81

161.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.94 ₴1,409

$22.09 ¥147

40.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 ₴268

$5.20 ¥34.60

13.08%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ₴68.5

$2.97 ¥19.74

-49.49%

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

$0.77 ₴35.03

$0.48 ¥3.19

60.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₴23.42

$0.30 ¥2.01

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₴49.13

$1.08 ¥7.18

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₴78.6

$2.28 ¥15.15

-24.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₴54.8

$1.80 ¥11.96

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 ₴34.44

$1.68 ¥11.15

-54.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 ₴61.2

$0.92 ¥6.13

45.65%

Eggs

$1.87 ₴84.9

$1.61 ¥10.73

16.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 ₴419

$13.38 ¥89.0

-31.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.72 ₴215

$3.35 ¥22.28

40.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.06 ₴321

$11.35 ¥75.5

-37.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 ₴53.1

$1.82 ¥12.12

-35.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₴70.5

$1.31 ¥8.69

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ₴78.4

$1.49 ¥9.89

15.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 ₴107

$1.27 ¥8.47

84.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ₴32.31

$0.71 ¥4.73

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₴25.03

$0.93 ¥6.21

-40.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ₴63.9

$0.62 ¥4.12

125.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₴24.42

$0.56 ¥3.74

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₴138

$3.78 ¥25.15

-20.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ₴209

$12.13 ¥80.7

-62.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₴39.48

$0.83 ¥5.54

4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₴62.0

$1.68 ¥11.21

-19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ₴19.50

$0.29 ¥1.91

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.85 ₴631

$17.83 ¥119

-22.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₴88.0

$1.49 ¥9.89

29.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ₴19.22

$0.37 ¥2.49

13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 ₴197

$7.10 ¥47.23

-38.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 ₴73.6

$1.26 ¥8.37

28.57%

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

$30.6K ₴1.4M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

57.28%

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

$23.9K ₴1.1M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

36.06%

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

$95.0 ₴4,325

$54.6 ¥363

74.10%

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

$6.00 ₴273

$8.73 ¥58.1

-31.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.28 ₴286

$11.07 ¥73.6

-43.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.67 ₴1,305

$40.77 ¥271

-29.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.05 ₴594

$14.48 ¥96.4

-9.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 ₴203

$6.78 ¥45.12

-34.07%

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

$289 ₴13.1K

$517 ¥3,437

-44.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,932 ₴315.6K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-65.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 ₴2,770

$46.53 ¥310

30.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.13 ₴1,736

$35.66 ¥237

6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 ₴3,868

$77.0 ¥512

10.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.1 ₴4,285

$80.3 ¥534

17.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 ₴17.1K

$386 ¥2,567

-2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₴11.4K

$235 ¥1,561

7.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 ₴29.2K

$822 ¥5,469

-21.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₴19.3K

$453 ¥3,015

-6.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,382 ₴62.9K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-70.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$902 ₴41.1K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-61.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$509 ₴23.2K

$1,093 ¥7,274

-53.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.9

3.46

417.34%

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

Last update for Ukraine: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ukraine

$251 30.5%

China

$235 29.6% 6.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Ukraine

$170 20.7%

China

$210 26.5% 23.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Ukraine

$125 15.2%

China

$108 13.6% 13.9% $17

Eating Out

Ukraine

$112 13.6%

China

$88 11.1% 21.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ukraine

$107 13%

China

$74 9.4% 30.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ukraine

$38 4.6%

China

$54 6.9% 44.5% $17

Getting Around

Ukraine

$20 2.4%

China

$22 2.8% 14% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $311 in Ukraine, $298 in China. Capital cities: $647 in Kyiv vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $455 in Ukraine, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 14% more in Ukraine.

Public transport is 20% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 92% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇺🇦 Ukraine

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

6 h ahead of Ukraine

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,167,335

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇦 Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 45.53 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.84 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to UAH in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ukraine China 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ukraine
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

Ukraine vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $823 in Ukraine, China comes out about 4% 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 $311 in Ukraine 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.