Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhutan and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhutan: $502 a month against $791 in China, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
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Bhutan Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇧🇹 Bhutan

$502

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bhutan and in China

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

A single person spends $502 per month in Bhutan vs $791 in China, rent included.

Bhutan $502
China $791

A couple spends around $778 per month in Bhutan vs $1,251 in China, rent included.

Bhutan $778
China $1,251

A family of three spends $1,053 per month in Bhutan vs $1,711 in China, rent included.

Bhutan $1,053
China $1,711

The regional cost range is wider in China ($465–$1,222) than in Bhutan ($103–$522), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Bhutan is roughly 37% lower than in China on average.

Both Bhutan and China are more affordable than the global median – Bhutan 63% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 BTN 253

$2.98 ¥19.77

-11.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.13 BTN 1,346

$22.09 ¥147

-36.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 BTN 477

$5.20 ¥34.53

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$1.29 BTN 123

$2.97 ¥19.70

-56.57%

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

$0.48 BTN 46.17

$0.48 ¥3.18

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 BTN 15.48

$0.30 ¥2.00

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 BTN 244

$1.08 ¥7.16

137.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BTN 155

$2.28 ¥15.12

-28.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 BTN 74.0

$1.80 ¥11.93

-56.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 BTN 80.2

$1.68 ¥11.13

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 BTN 94.1

$0.92 ¥6.12

7.61%

Eggs

$1.56 BTN 149

$1.61 ¥10.71

-3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.33 BTN 318

$13.38 ¥88.9

-75.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 BTN 354

$3.35 ¥22.23

10.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.91 BTN 373

$11.35 ¥75.4

-65.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 BTN 232

$1.82 ¥12.10

34.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 BTN 150

$1.31 ¥8.68

19.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 BTN 152

$1.49 ¥9.87

6.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 BTN 87.6

$1.27 ¥8.46

-27.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 BTN 58.0

$0.71 ¥4.72

-14.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 BTN 65.6

$0.93 ¥6.20

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 BTN 60.9

$0.62 ¥4.11

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 BTN 31.73

$0.56 ¥3.73

-41.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 BTN 369

$3.78 ¥25.10

2.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.91 BTN 277

$12.13 ¥80.6

-76.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BTN 80.4

$0.83 ¥5.53

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BTN 102

$1.68 ¥11.19

-36.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BTN 78.2

$0.29 ¥1.91

182.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.12 BTN 488

$17.83 ¥118

-71.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 BTN 78.8

$1.49 ¥9.87

-44.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 BTN 146

$0.37 ¥2.49

316.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.14 BTN 13.61

$7.10 ¥47.14

-98.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 73.2

$1.26 ¥8.36

-38.89%

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

$16.4K BTN 1.6M

$19.4K ¥129.1K

-15.42%

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

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

$17.5K ¥116.5K

-13.41%

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

$34.15 BTN 3,254

$54.6 ¥362

-37.41%

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

$36.40 BTN 3,469

$8.73 ¥58.0

316.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 BTN 2,299

$11.07 ¥73.5

117.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.93 BTN 4,472

$40.77 ¥271

15.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.19 BTN 590

$14.48 ¥96.2

-57.25%

Cinema Ticket

$3.16 BTN 301

$6.78 ¥45.03

-53.39%

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

$44.49 BTN 4,240

$517 ¥3,431

-91.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$588 BTN 56.0K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-97.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 BTN 3,397

$46.53 ¥309

-23.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.58 BTN 1,675

$35.66 ¥237

-50.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 BTN 5,211

$77.0 ¥511

-28.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.70 BTN 2,449

$80.3 ¥533

-67.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 BTN 11.4K

$386 ¥2,562

-68.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 BTN 8,152

$235 ¥1,558

-63.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 BTN 17.1K

$822 ¥5,458

-78.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 BTN 14.3K

$453 ¥3,009

-66.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,519 BTN 525.9K

$4,697 ¥31.2K

17.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,676 BTN 159.7K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-29.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$322 BTN 30.7K

$1,093 ¥7,260

-70.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

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

Last update for Bhutan: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bhutan

$121 24.1%

China

$210 26.5% 73.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhutan

$95 18.9%

China

$74 9.4% 21.5% $20

Accommodation & Living

Bhutan

$86 17%

China

$235 29.6% 174% $149

Eating Out

Bhutan

$70 14%

China

$88 11.1% 25.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Bhutan

$60 12%

China

$108 13.6% 79.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Bhutan

$53 10.6%

China

$54 6.9% 2% $1.1

Getting Around

Bhutan

$17 3.4%

China

$22 2.8% 32.1% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $142 in Bhutan vs $298 in China. For reference, capital cities sit at $128 in Thimphu and $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Average salary: $295 in Bhutan vs $873 in China. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 110% higher in China.

Dining out costs 57% more in China.

Public transport is 260% more expensive in China.

Salaries are about 3 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

2 h ahead of Bhutan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

787,424

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.37 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 95.29 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.37 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bhutan China 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bhutan
China

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

Bhutan vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhutan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 37% lower on average.

Housing costs more in China: a central one-bedroom averages $298 versus $142 in Bhutan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Bhutan – part of why living there is about 37% cheaper overall.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Bhutan, but in China it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Bhutan is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.