Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and the Gambia

Name: Gambia
Address: GM

For one person, living is cheaper in the Gambia: $701 a month against $789 in China, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in the Gambia
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Gambia Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$789

/mo nomad

🇬🇲 Gambia

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in the Gambia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in China versus $701 in the Gambia.

China $789
Gambia $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,254 in China versus $1,207 in the Gambia.

China $1,254
Gambia $1,207

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,720 in China versus $1,713 in the Gambia.

China $1,720
Gambia $1,713

China ($468–$1,246) and the Gambia ($56–$676) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China is roughly 13% more expensive than in the Gambia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, the Gambia 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.24

$6.57 GMD 487

-53.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.12 ¥147

$73.2 GMD 5,431

-69.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.74

$7.82 GMD 580

-31.33%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ¥19.53

$3.39 GMD 251

-13.57%

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

$0.48 ¥3.21

$2.17 GMD 161

-77.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$1.36 GMD 101

-77.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.15

$5.60 GMD 416

-80.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.69

$4.54 GMD 336

-51.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.00

$1.38 GMD 103

30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.76

$0.72 GMD 53.2

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.14 GMD 84.5

-13.16%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.79

$2.09 GMD 155

-22.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 ¥89.5

$5.96 GMD 442

125.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.04

$8.56 GMD 635

-59.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.2

$5.55 GMD 412

100.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.60

$2.09 GMD 155

-9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.72

$1.57 GMD 116

-16.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥9.97

$2.09 GMD 155

-28.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$1.78 GMD 132

-24.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.77

$0.99 GMD 73.1

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.98 GMD 72.9

-5.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.35

$0.26 GMD 19.15

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.39 GMD 29.00

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥25.42

$1.75 GMD 130

118.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 ¥81.1

$6.57 GMD 487

85.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.04

$1.60 GMD 119

-43.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$1.66 GMD 123

-0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.33 GMD 24.36

-12.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥120

$6.73 GMD 499

168.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.22

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.46

$0.66 GMD 49.04

-43.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ¥44.57

$4.12 GMD 306

62.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.49

$1.04 GMD 77.4

23.08%

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$2,612 GMD 193.7K

655.71%

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

$17.5K ¥116.2K

$3,303 GMD 244.9K

428.48%

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

$55.3 ¥368

$30.50 GMD 2,262

81.38%

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

$8.32 ¥55.4

$14.36 GMD 1,065

-42.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.12 ¥74.1

$52.7 GMD 3,907

-78.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.65 ¥264

$23.45 GMD 1,739

69.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$13.81 GMD 1,024

9.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ¥44.26

$3.33 GMD 247

99.70%

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

$514 ¥3,425

$6.63 GMD 492

7657.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K ¥232.4K

$138 GMD 10.2K

25209.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.85 ¥305

$55.7 GMD 4,126

-17.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.41 ¥236

$44.32 GMD 3,287

-20.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ¥506

$100 GMD 7,427

-24.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 ¥533

$85.3 GMD 6,324

-6.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,527

$101 GMD 7,466

276.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ¥1,543

$82.3 GMD 6,099

181.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 ¥5,563

$215 GMD 15.9K

289.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥3,074

$103 GMD 7,621

349.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,743 ¥31.6K

$1,478 GMD 109.6K

220.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,383 ¥15.9K

$1,150 GMD 85.3K

107.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,117 ¥7,436

$62.2 GMD 4,614

1694.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

-77.00%

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

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Last update for the Gambia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$232 29.4%

Gambia

$82 11.7% 64.5% $149

Groceries & Markets

China

$212 26.8%

Gambia

$184 26.2% 13.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

China

$107 13.5%

Gambia

$128 18.3% 20.3% $22

Eating Out

China

$89 11.2%

Gambia

$168 24% 89.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$75 9.5%

Gambia

$98 13.9% 30.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

China

$53 6.7%

Gambia

$30 4.3% 43.2% $23

Getting Around

China

$23 2.9%

Gambia

$11 * 1.6% 49.8% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $102 in the Gambia. Capital cities: $942 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $102 in Banjul.

National salary averages: $881 in China, $62 in the Gambia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 192% higher in China.

Dining out costs 191% more in the Gambia.

Public transport is 157% more expensive in China.

Salaries are about 14 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇬🇲 Gambia

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

07:12 7:12 AM

8 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

2,639,916

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 GMD = 1.35 USD

100 GMD = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GMD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 74.15 GMD (100 GMD = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 83.24 GMD (100 GMD = 1.2 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Gambia 12,350 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Gambia

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 Gambia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $789 per month in China and $701 in the Gambia, the Gambia comes out about 11% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $298 in China and $102 in the Gambia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In the Gambia, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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