Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Bhutan Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Bhutan

😐 Solo nomad: China is 23.8% more expensive than Bhutan without rent, and 62.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: China is 28.4% more expensive than Bhutan without rent, and 66.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Bhutan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.82 ¥19.48
$2.86 BTN 262
-1.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.62 ¥163
$17.75 BTN 1,627
33.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.97 ¥34.30
$3.56 BTN 326
39.61%
Cappuccino
$3.14 ¥21.63
$1.47 BTN 135
113.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.06
$0.52 BTN 47.46
-15.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.84
$0.16 BTN 14.80
68.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.93 ¥6.39
$2.90 BTN 266
-67.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ¥14.35
$2.27 BTN 208
-8.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Bhutan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 ¥12.68
$0.86 BTN 78.5
113.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ¥11.15
$0.87 BTN 79.8
86.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.96 ¥6.61
$0.71 BTN 65.1
35.21%
Eggs
$1.56 ¥10.74
$1.98 BTN 182
-21.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.18 ¥90.9
$3.33 BTN 305
295.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.21 ¥22.11
$3.69 BTN 338
-13.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.89 ¥75.2
$4.07 BTN 373
167.57%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 ¥12.18
$2.77 BTN 254
-36.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ¥8.62
$1.75 BTN 160
-28.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.51
$2.16 BTN 198
-29.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ¥7.94
$0.96 BTN 87.5
19.79%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.27
$0.51 BTN 47.02
49.02%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 ¥6.13
$0.69 BTN 62.9
28.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ¥4.24
$0.39 BTN 35.90
56.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.71
$0.37 BTN 34.05
45.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ¥23.29
$3.83 BTN 351
-11.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.67 ¥80.5
$3.37 BTN 308
246.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥5.38
$0.72 BTN 65.8
8.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ¥11.52
$1.14 BTN 105
46.49%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Bhutan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ¥2.97
$2.09 BTN 191
-79.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.93 ¥144
$4.10 BTN 375
410.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ¥9.72
$0.84 BTN 77.1
67.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.44
$2.33 BTN 213
-84.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.48 ¥44.71
$0.18 BTN 16.10
3500.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥8.03
$0.89 BTN 81.4
30.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K ¥132.9K
$19.0K BTN 1.7M
1.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥117.2K
$24.0K BTN 2.2M
-29.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Bhutan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.3 ¥354
$22.98 BTN 2,106
123.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.84 ¥67.9
$37.62 BTN 3,447
-73.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.49 ¥79.3
$22.84 BTN 2,093
-49.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Bhutan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.28 ¥278
$47.67 BTN 4,368
-15.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.78 ¥102
$6.21 BTN 569
138.00%
Cinema Ticket
$6.41 ¥44.24
$3.51 BTN 322
82.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Bhutan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$403 ¥2,783
$245 BTN 22.4K
64.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K ¥123.3K
$664 BTN 60.8K
2592.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Bhutan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.91 ¥317
$20.43 BTN 1,872
124.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.39 ¥223
$11.73 BTN 1,075
176.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.2 ¥492
$49.26 BTN 4,514
44.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.0 ¥510
$38.42 BTN 3,521
92.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Bhutan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 ¥3,008
$104 BTN 9,511
320.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$254 ¥1,750
$69.0 BTN 6,320
267.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$900 ¥6,210
$173 BTN 15.9K
419.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$548 ¥3,781
$141 BTN 12.9K
288.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,140 ¥35.5K
$1,569 BTN 143.7K
227.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,676 ¥18.5K
$1,203 BTN 110.2K
122.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Bhutan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,024 ¥7,068
$542 BTN 49.7K
88.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
10.75
-62.23%

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

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

Last update for Bhutan: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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