Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xi'an and Serra

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.

36

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index

Jump to prices

Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$735

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Xi'an $735
Serra $889

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

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

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

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

Living in Xi'an costs roughly 17% less than in Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 ¥18.41

$4.77 R$24.16

-42.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.75 ¥119

$22.99 R$117

-22.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥29.76

$8.20 R$41.58

-45.73%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ¥14.15

$2.09 R$10.57

1.44%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.34 R$6.77

-67.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.62 R$3.15

-53.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$1.95 R$9.88

-25.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$3.06 R$15.53

-52.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ¥9.53

$1.13 R$5.70

26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.80 R$9.13

-2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.06

$1.17 R$5.95

-22.22%

Eggs

$1.49 ¥9.94

$2.14 R$10.87

-30.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.4

$10.49 R$53.2

10.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 ¥26.53

$4.58 R$23.22

-13.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$8.54 R$43.27

21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$2.87 R$14.53

-43.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$1.53 R$7.74

-25.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.83 R$9.28

-32.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.84

$1.62 R$8.20

-18.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$1.18 R$5.96

-45.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$1.11 R$5.65

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.34 R$6.78

-56.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$1.39 R$7.03

-57.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 ¥22.36

$2.49 R$12.62

34.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 ¥65.2

$5.64 R$28.59

72.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.05

$0.98 R$4.98

-22.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.35

$3.27 R$16.59

-48.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.97 R$4.93

-70.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.16 ¥175

$47.18 R$239

-44.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.31 R$6.66

-0.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.13 R$5.72

-74.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 ¥29.69

$6.89 R$34.95

-35.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.08 R$5.49

20.37%

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

$19.5K ¥130.6K

$23.5K R$119.2K

-16.91%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$33.8K R$171.1K

-46.91%

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

$90.1 ¥603

$158 R$803

-43.11%

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

$6.23 ¥41.63

$12.30 R$62.4

-49.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.79 ¥72.1

$21.05 R$107

-48.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.47 ¥197

$25.83 R$131

14.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 ¥142

$27.87 R$141

-23.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 ¥39.96

$7.49 R$37.95

-20.16%

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

$701 ¥4,684

$188 R$955

271.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$6,726 R$34.1K

156.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.41 ¥263

$55.0 R$279

-28.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.49 ¥251

$51.1 R$259

-26.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$91.1 R$462

-17.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ¥618

$74.3 R$377

24.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 ¥2,093

$251 R$1,271

24.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,202

$153 R$774

17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$863 ¥5,772

$446 R$2,261

93.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 ¥2,314

$220 R$1,117

57.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,368 ¥15.8K

$970 R$4,917

144.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,638 ¥11.0K

$563 R$2,852

191.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,089 ¥7,281

$559 R$2,833

94.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

-69.55%

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

Last update for Xi'an: October 10, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xi'an

$193 26.2%

Serra

$212 23.8% 9.9% $19

Accommodation & Living

Xi'an

$180 24.5%

Serra

$153 17.2% 15.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Xi'an

$110 15%

Serra

$122 13.8% 10.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xi'an

$107 14.6%

Serra

$192 21.6% 79% $85

Eating Out

Xi'an

$74 10.1%

Serra

$111 12.5% 50.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Xi'an

$41 5.6%

Serra

$41 4.6% 1.5% $0.6

Getting Around

Xi'an

$30 4.1%

Serra

$58 6.5% 93.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $313 in Xi'an and $251 in Serra. 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: $18.00 in Xi'an vs $23.00 in Serra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $212 per month, with Xi'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

11 h behind Xi'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,183,280

520,653

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Xi'an
Serra

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

Xi'an vs Serra: 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.

Average pay runs 95% higher in Xi'an, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $313 in Xi'an versus $251 in Serra. 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.