Cost of Living · CN vs CZ
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇨🇿 Prague: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,329 in Czechia — 31.42% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Czechia
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 8.33%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 9.29%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 9.38%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +36.9%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +36.9%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +36.9%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Czechia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $890 (19,477 CZK) | +36.9% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $712 (15,582 CZK) | +36.9% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,628 (35,615 CZK) | +36.9% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $10.58 (232 CZK) | +27.93% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $44.09 (965 CZK) | +27.98% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $6.79 (149 CZK) | +25.28% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.75 (16 CZK) | +20.97% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.17 (47 CZK) | +19.23% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.31 (51 CZK) | +19.69% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $6.80 (149 CZK) | +19.72% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.72 (60 CZK) | +19.82% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.26 (71 CZK) | +19.41% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $8.15 (178 CZK) | +19.68% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.36 (30 CZK) | +19.3% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $3.53 (77 CZK) | +27.9% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $6.59 (144 CZK) | +9.29% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $2.94 (64 CZK) | +27.83% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.56 (34 CZK) | +19.08% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $40.10 (877 CZK) | +25.12% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.70 (37 CZK) | +25% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $2.35 (51 CZK) | +27.72% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.06 (23 CZK) | +27.71% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.78 (17 CZK) | +8.33% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $123 (2,700 CZK) | +25.15% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $43.19 (945 CZK) | +25.15% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $27.77 (608 CZK) | +25.15% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $29.40 (643 CZK) | +27.99% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $8.23 (180 CZK) | +27.99% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $17.64 (386 CZK) | +28.01% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $45.34 (992 CZK) | +9.38% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $74.19 (1,623 CZK) | +9.39% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $147 (3,216 CZK) | +28% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Czechia than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,329 in Czechia versus $1,011 in China — 31.42% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Czechia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.53 in Czechia (≈ 77.24 CZK), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Czechia compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $890/month in Czechia versus $650/month in China (+36.9%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.