Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Bhutan

Name: Bhutan
Address: BT

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.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
Learn more

Bhutan Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Bhutan

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

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

China $791
Bhutan $502

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

China $1,251
Bhutan $778

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

China $1,711
Bhutan $1,053

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 China is about 58% higher than in Bhutan on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$2.65 BTN 253

12.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$14.13 BTN 1,346

56.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.59

$5.01 BTN 477

3.79%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.73

$1.29 BTN 123

130.23%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.48 BTN 46.17

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.16 BTN 15.48

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$2.56 BTN 244

-57.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$1.62 BTN 155

40.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$0.78 BTN 74.0

130.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$0.84 BTN 80.2

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$0.99 BTN 94.1

-7.07%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.56 BTN 149

3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.0

$3.33 BTN 318

301.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.27

$3.71 BTN 354

-9.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$3.91 BTN 373

190.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$2.44 BTN 232

-25.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$1.57 BTN 150

-16.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.59 BTN 152

-6.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$0.92 BTN 87.6

38.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.61 BTN 58.0

16.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.69 BTN 65.6

34.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.64 BTN 60.9

-3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.33 BTN 31.73

69.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$3.88 BTN 369

-2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$2.91 BTN 277

316.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$0.84 BTN 80.4

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.07 BTN 102

57.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.82 BTN 78.2

-64.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$5.12 BTN 488

248.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.83 BTN 78.8

79.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.54 BTN 146

-75.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.23

$0.14 BTN 13.61

4971.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$0.77 BTN 73.2

63.64%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$16.4K BTN 1.6M

18.24%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

15.49%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$34.15 BTN 3,254

59.77%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$36.40 BTN 3,469

-76.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$24.12 BTN 2,299

-54.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$46.93 BTN 4,472

-13.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.3

$6.19 BTN 590

133.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.11

$3.16 BTN 301

114.56%

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

$517 ¥3,437

$44.49 BTN 4,240

1061.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$588 BTN 56.0K

3269.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$35.65 BTN 3,397

30.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$17.58 BTN 1,675

102.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$54.7 BTN 5,211

40.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$25.70 BTN 2,449

212.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$120 BTN 11.4K

221.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,560

$85.6 BTN 8,152

174.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,468

$180 BTN 17.1K

357.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,014

$150 BTN 14.3K

202.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$5,519 BTN 525.9K

-14.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,676 BTN 159.7K

41.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,273

$322 BTN 30.7K

239.65%

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 China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bhutan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Bhutan

$86 17% 63.5% $149

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Bhutan

$121 24.1% 42.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Bhutan

$60 12% 44.2% $48

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Bhutan

$70 14% 20.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Bhutan

$95 18.9% 27.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Bhutan

$53 10.6% 2% $1.1

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Bhutan

$17 3.4% 24.3% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $873 in China vs $295 in Bhutan. 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

🇨🇳 China

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

2 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

787,424

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Bhutan 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Bhutan

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

China vs Bhutan: 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.