Cost of living comparison

 China
compared to
 Serbia
Serbia vs. China Cost of Living Summary

Serbia is 39.9% more expensive than China overall.

Restaurants
pay 2.8 times more in Serbia
Groceries
pay 11.0% more in Serbia
Transportation
pay 42.7% more in Serbia
Housing
pay 76.3% more in Serbia
Childcare
pay 59.3% less in Serbia
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.6% less in Serbia
Clothing
pay 30.8% more in Serbia

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

Serbia vs. China Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.8 times more for restaurants

 
China
Serbia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.85
CN¥20.83
$7.13
RSD738
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.07
CN¥36.95
$7.64
RSD790
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.49
CN¥3.57
$1.60
RSD166

Improve prices ·

pay 11.0% more for groceries

 
China
Serbia
Bread
1 loaf
$1.59
CN¥11.61
$0.70
RSD72
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.85
CN¥42.68
$3.97
RSD411
Milk (1 gallon) $6.86
CN¥50.04
$4.84
RSD501

Improve prices ·

pay 42.7% more for transportation

 
China
Serbia
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.44
CN¥32.42
$6.22
RSD644
Monthly public transit pass $22.47
CN¥163.92
$23.52
RSD2,433
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,071.53
CN¥139,126.84
$28,112.26
RSD2,908,122

Improve prices ·

pay 76.3% more for housing

 
China
Serbia
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.70
CN¥85.32
$23.16
RSD2,396
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $328.33
CN¥2,395.17
$353.21
RSD36,539
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $205.78
CN¥1,501.17
$242.83
RSD25,120

Improve prices ·

pay 59.3% less for childcare

 
China
Serbia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $459.70
CN¥3,353.50
$238.41
RSD24,662
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $18,318.08
CN¥133,630.39
$5,379.39
RSD556,481

Improve prices ·

pay 0.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
China
Serbia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.09
CN¥7.96
$2.03
RSD210
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.07
CN¥22.38
$1.68
RSD174
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.23
CN¥23.59
$3.80
RSD393

Improve prices ·

pay 30.8% more for clothing

 
China
Serbia
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$48.23
CN¥351.80
$73.17
RSD7,569
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$31.67
CN¥231.04
$35.45
RSD3,668
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$72.53
CN¥529.08
$92.31
RSD9,549

Improve prices ·
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: May 2025
Share this

Compare by city

Select a city in China
Select a city..
compared to
Select a city in Serbia
Select a city..
For example, try comparing the cost of living in Beijing vs. Belgrade

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Serbia or China. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.