Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Burundi

Name: Burundi
Address: BI

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.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Burundi
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Burundi Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇧🇮 Burundi

$761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Burundi

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 Burundi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

China $791
Burundi $761

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

China $1,251
Burundi $1,366

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

China $1,711
Burundi $1,972

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

Living in China is roughly 4% more expensive than in Burundi on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$3.93 BIF 11.7K

-24.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$65.6 BIF 196.0K

-66.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$3.81 BIF 11.4K

36.48%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$3.06 BIF 9,149

-2.94%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.75 BIF 5,228

-72.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$1.37 BIF 4,087

-78.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$2.12 BIF 6,350

-49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$6.48 BIF 19.4K

-64.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$0.95 BIF 2,835

89.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$1.36 BIF 4,051

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.49 BIF 4,442

-38.26%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$3.65 BIF 10.9K

-55.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$8.49 BIF 25.4K

57.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$11.04 BIF 33.0K

-69.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$9.06 BIF 27.1K

25.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$4.53 BIF 13.5K

-59.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$0.62 BIF 1,855

111.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.95 BIF 5,816

-23.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.13 BIF 3,372

12.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$0.34 BIF 1,023

108.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.41 BIF 1,236

126.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$2.05 BIF 6,130

-72.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.8

$11.30 BIF 33.8K

7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$2.12 BIF 6,341

-60.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$4.03 BIF 12.0K

-58.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.01 BIF 3,008

-71.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$30.60 BIF 91.4K

-41.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$4.90 BIF 14.7K

-69.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$3.27 BIF 9,768

-88.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$29.95 BIF 89.5K

-76.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$1.37 BIF 4,107

-8.03%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$19.9K BIF 59.4M

-2.22%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$21.0K BIF 62.7M

-16.46%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$72.5 BIF 216.7K

-24.74%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$8.51 BIF 25.4K

2.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.7

$44.75 BIF 133.7K

-75.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$24.05 BIF 71.9K

69.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$71.1 BIF 212.5K

-79.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$1.70 BIF 5,073

298.82%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$98.7 BIF 295.0K

423.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$10.1K BIF 30.3M

95.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$32.92 BIF 98.4K

41.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$30.87 BIF 92.3K

15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$89.2 BIF 266.7K

-13.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$42.22 BIF 126.2K

90.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$434 BIF 1.3M

-11.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$89.7 BIF 268.1K

161.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$1,317 BIF 3.9M

-37.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$262 BIF 784.1K

72.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$2,695 BIF 8.1M

74.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$2,090 BIF 6.2M

13.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,275

$367 BIF 1.1M

197.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

14.17

-75.58%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Burundi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Burundi

$90 11.8% 61.8% $145

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Burundi

$259 * 34% 23.3% $49

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Burundi

$88 11.5% 18.5% $20

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Burundi

$116 15.2% 31.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Burundi

$126 16.5% 69.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Burundi

$27 3.6% 49.5% $27

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Burundi

$56 7.3% 150% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $873 in China, $367 in Burundi. 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

🇨🇳 China

🇧🇮 Burundi

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

6 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

13,689,450

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Burundian Franc BIF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 BIF = 3.35 USD

10,000 BIF = 3.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BIF, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Burundi 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Burundi

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 Burundi: 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.