Moving to China from Iran
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Iran to China — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Iran to China, you would find that China is 56.0% more expensive than Iran overall. A IRR100,000,000,000 salary in Iran would need to be roughly CN¥760,000 in China to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Chinese.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Iran to China.
What does your salary buy?
IRR100,000,000,000 → CN¥760,000
To maintain the same standard of living in China
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 12.1% less
Groceries
pay 88.8% more
Transportation
pay 49.1% more
Housing
pay 25.2% more
Childcare
pay 9.1 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.4 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in China cost about 17% less than cities in Iran.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Iran to China.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
China performs significantly better than Iran across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
China generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iran leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Iran performs better than China across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
China performs significantly better than Iran across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
China performs significantly better than Iran across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
China performs significantly better than Iran across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2007). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Tehran | Beijing |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/35°F (11°/2°C) | 42°/22°F (6°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 82°/61°F (28°/16°C) | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 94°/72°F (35°/22°C) | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/44°F (17°/7°C) | 51°/32°F (11°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Tehran | Beijing |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45°/30°F (7.2°/-1.1°C) | 35°/15°F (1.6°/-9.4°C) |
| Feb | 50°/33°F (9.9°/0.7°C) | 39°/20°F (4.0°/-6.9°C) |
| Mar | 60°/41°F (15.4°/5.2°C) | 52°/31°F (11.3°/-0.6°C) |
| Apr | 71°/52°F (21.9°/10.9°C) | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.2°C) |
| May | 82°/61°F (28.0°/16.1°C) | 80°/56°F (26.4°/13.2°C) |
| Jun | 93°/70°F (34.1°/20.9°C) | 87°/65°F (30.3°/18.2°C) |
| Jul | 98°/75°F (36.8°/24.0°C) | 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.6°C) |
| Aug | 96°/73°F (35.4°/23.0°C) | 85°/69°F (29.5°/20.4°C) |
| Sep | 89°/67°F (31.5°/19.2°C) | 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) |
| Oct | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) | 66°/45°F (19.0°/7.3°C) |
| Nov | 62°/44°F (16.5°/6.7°C) | 50°/31°F (10.1°/-0.4°C) |
| Dec | 50°/34°F (9.8°/1.3°C) | 38°/20°F (3.3°/-6.9°C) |
China Meteorological AdministrationVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Iran and China. To live, work, or study long-term in China, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check China's immigration authority.
Iran passport holder visiting China
Visa Required
China passport holder visiting Iran
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in China than Iran?
No — China is on average about 56% more expensive than Iran. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to China?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly CN¥190,000 in China on a IRR100,000,000,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from China?
Internet is rarely the blocker — China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is China safe for expats?
China performs significantly better than Iran across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in China is 0.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.4 in Iran.
How is healthcare in China compared to Iran?
China generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Iran leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people in China, compared to 18.1 in Iran. China scores 81 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Iran: 74).
What's the weather like in China compared to Iran?
The average high temperature in Beijing is 64°F, compared to 72°F in Tehran. Beijing receives around 22.8 in of rainfall per year, while Tehran gets 9.1 in.
What language do they speak in China?
The official language in China is Chinese. In Iran, the official language is Persian (Farsi).
