Cost of living comparison

compared to

China vs. Russia Cost of Living Summary

China is 1.3% cheaper than Russia overall.

Restaurants: pay 45.1% less in China
Groceries: pay 8.1% more in China
Transportation: pay 1.2% less in China
Housing: pay 16.8% less in China
Childcare: pay 64.5% more in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 9.7% more in China
Clothing: pay 28.0% less in China

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries in China are more expensive than in Russia. Expenses including restaurants, clothing, housing, and transportation are lower in China.

China vs. Russia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in China instead of Russia, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 45.1% less for restaurants

	Russia	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$9.65 RUB750.26	$2.90 CN¥20.50	-70.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.53 RUB429.86	$5.02 CN¥35.49	-9.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.06 RUB82.04	$0.47 CN¥3.36	-55.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.51 RUB39.84	$0.28 CN¥1.96	-46.1%
Average			-45.1%

Russia vs. China - Cost of restaurants

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pay 8.1% more for groceries

	Russia	China
Bread 1 loaf	$0.63 RUB48.99	$1.63 CN¥11.52	+158.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.02 RUB390.35	$6.32 CN¥44.71	+25.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.22 RUB328.07	$6.70 CN¥47.44	+58.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.60 RUB124.25	$1.56 CN¥11.05	-2.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.20 RUB171.01	$1.52 CN¥10.78	-30.8%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.79 RUB61.35	$0.74 CN¥5.25	-5.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 RUB62.32	$0.55 CN¥3.86	-32.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.93 RUB72.28	$0.62 CN¥4.41	-32.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.25 RUB97.49	$0.50 CN¥3.57	-59.8%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.38 RUB29.48	$0.30 CN¥2.13	-20.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.30 RUB23.55	$0.39 CN¥2.79	+30.2%
Average			+8.1%

Russia vs. China - Cost of groceries

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pay 1.2% less for transportation

	Russia	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.69 RUB209.35	$4.34 CN¥30.68	+61.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$21.72 RUB1,688.04	$20.32 CN¥143.78	-6.4%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$31,562.55 RUB2,452,945.27	$19,143.98 CN¥135,449.43	-39.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.94 RUB384.30	$3.94 CN¥27.89	-20.3%
Average			-1.2%

Russia vs. China - Cost of transportation

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pay 16.8% less for housing

	Russia	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$7.57 RUB588.25	$11.18 CN¥79.08	+47.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$433.96 RUB33,726.17	$304.90 CN¥2,157.22	-29.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$300.84 RUB23,380.59	$195.65 CN¥1,384.25	-35.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$82.77 RUB6,432.37	$41.04 CN¥290.39	-50.4%
Average			-16.8%

Russia vs. China - Cost of housing

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pay 64.5% more for childcare

	Russia	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$300.70 RUB23,369.39	$390.25 CN¥2,761.13	+29.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,780.29 RUB604,660.71	$15,493.57 CN¥109,621.66	+99.1%
Average			+64.5%

Russia vs. China - Cost of childcare

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pay 9.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Russia	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.70 RUB132.06	$1.04 CN¥7.37	-38.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.17 RUB168.48	$2.84 CN¥20.07	+30.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.68 RUB208.50	$3.36 CN¥23.77	+25.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$35.84 RUB2,785.59	$41.13 CN¥290.99	+14.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.13 RUB398.32	$5.98 CN¥42.33	+16.7%
Average			+9.7%

Russia vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 28.0% less for clothing

	Russia	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$62.56 RUB4,861.67	$45.93 CN¥324.95	-26.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$43.72 RUB3,398.03	$30.93 CN¥218.85	-29.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$102.93 RUB7,999.61	$71.26 CN¥504.18	-30.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$97.34 RUB7,564.61	$72.88 CN¥515.65	-25.1%
Average			-28.0%

Russia vs. China - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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