Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burundi and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in Burundi: $761 a month against $791 in China, rent and utilities included – about $360 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in China outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Burundi
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Burundi Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇧🇮 Burundi

$761

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burundi 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 Burundi and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $761 in Burundi versus $791 in China.

Burundi $761
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,366 in Burundi versus $1,251 in China.

Burundi $1,366
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,972 in Burundi versus $1,711 in China.

Burundi $1,972
China $1,711

Burundi ($30–$643) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Burundi costs about 4% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Burundi 44% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 BIF 11.7K

$2.98 ¥19.81

31.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.6 BIF 196.0K

$22.09 ¥147

196.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 BIF 11.4K

$5.20 ¥34.60

-26.73%

Cappuccino

$3.06 BIF 9,149

$2.97 ¥19.74

3.03%

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

$1.75 BIF 5,228

$0.48 ¥3.19

264.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 BIF 4,087

$0.30 ¥2.01

356.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 BIF 6,350

$1.08 ¥7.18

96.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.48 BIF 19.4K

$2.28 ¥15.15

184.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 BIF 2,835

$1.80 ¥11.96

-47.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 BIF 4,051

$1.68 ¥11.15

-19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 BIF 4,442

$0.92 ¥6.13

61.96%

Eggs

$3.65 BIF 10.9K

$1.61 ¥10.73

126.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 BIF 25.4K

$13.38 ¥89.1

-36.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 BIF 33.0K

$3.35 ¥22.28

229.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.06 BIF 27.1K

$11.35 ¥75.5

-20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 BIF 13.5K

$1.82 ¥12.12

148.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 BIF 1,855

$1.31 ¥8.69

-52.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 BIF 5,816

$1.49 ¥9.89

30.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 BIF 3,372

$1.27 ¥8.47

-11.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 BIF 1,023

$0.71 ¥4.73

-52.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 BIF 1,236

$0.93 ¥6.21

-55.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 BIF 6,130

$0.56 ¥3.74

266.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 BIF 33.8K

$12.13 ¥80.8

-6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 BIF 6,341

$0.83 ¥5.54

155.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 BIF 12.0K

$1.68 ¥11.21

139.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 BIF 3,008

$0.29 ¥1.92

248.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.60 BIF 91.4K

$17.83 ¥119

71.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 BIF 14.7K

$1.49 ¥9.89

228.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 BIF 9,768

$0.37 ¥2.49

783.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.95 BIF 89.5K

$7.10 ¥47.24

321.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 BIF 4,107

$1.26 ¥8.37

8.73%

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

$19.9K BIF 59.4M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

2.27%

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

$21.0K BIF 62.7M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

19.70%

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

$72.5 BIF 216.7K

$54.6 ¥363

32.88%

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

$8.51 BIF 25.4K

$8.73 ¥58.1

-2.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.75 BIF 133.7K

$11.07 ¥73.7

304.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.05 BIF 71.9K

$40.77 ¥271

-41.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$71.1 BIF 212.5K

$14.48 ¥96.4

391.16%

Cinema Ticket

$1.70 BIF 5,073

$6.78 ¥45.12

-74.93%

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

$98.7 BIF 295.0K

$517 ¥3,438

-80.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K BIF 30.3M

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-48.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.92 BIF 98.4K

$46.53 ¥310

-29.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.87 BIF 92.3K

$35.66 ¥237

-13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 BIF 266.7K

$77.0 ¥512

15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 BIF 126.2K

$80.3 ¥534

-47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 BIF 1.3M

$386 ¥2,567

12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.7 BIF 268.1K

$235 ¥1,561

-61.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 BIF 3.9M

$822 ¥5,469

60.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 BIF 784.1K

$453 ¥3,015

-42.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,695 BIF 8.1M

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-42.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,090 BIF 6.2M

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-11.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$367 BIF 1.1M

$1,093 ¥7,275

-66.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.17

3.46

309.54%

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

Last update for Burundi: October 27, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Burundi

$259 * 34%

China

$210 26.5% 18.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burundi

$126 16.5%

China

$74 9.4% 40.9% $51

Eating Out

Burundi

$116 15.2%

China

$88 11.1% 23.8% $28

Accommodation & Living

Burundi

$90 11.8%

China

$235 29.6% 162% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Burundi

$88 11.5%

China

$108 13.6% 22.6% $20

Getting Around

Burundi

$56 7.3%

China

$22 2.8% 60% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Burundi

$27 3.6%

China

$54 6.9% 98% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $367 in Burundi, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 48% higher in Burundi.

Dining out costs 195% more in Burundi.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Burundi.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇧🇮 Burundi

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

10:13 10:13 AM

6 h ahead of Burundi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,689,450

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Burundian Franc BIF Fr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD

10,000 BIF = 3.01 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BIF – Burundian Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇮 Burundian Franc (Fr)

Burundian Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2,989 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD). 1 EUR = 3,327 BIF (10,000 BIF = 3.01 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BIF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burundi China 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Burundi
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

Burundi vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $761 per month in Burundi and $791 in China, Burundi comes out about 4% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Burundi is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Burundi wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.