Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Tajikistan

Name: Tajikistan
Address: TJ

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $837 in Tajikistan, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Tajikistan
Learn more

Tajikistan Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

🇹🇯 Tajikistan

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Tajikistan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in China versus $837 in Tajikistan.

China $784
Tajikistan $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,268 in China versus $1,307 in Tajikistan.

China $1,268
Tajikistan $1,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,752 in China versus $1,777 in Tajikistan.

China $1,752
Tajikistan $1,777

Living in China costs about 6% less than in Tajikistan on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Tajikistan 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ¥19.39

$5.92 TJS 54.7

-51.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 ¥147

$16.35 TJS 151

34.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.74

$5.41 TJS 49.98

-3.88%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.31

$1.63 TJS 15.06

86.50%

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

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.57 TJS 5.31

-8.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.38 TJS 3.50

-26.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.27 TJS 11.71

-20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.64

$1.93 TJS 17.84

13.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.05 TJS 9.73

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.96

$0.61 TJS 5.62

168.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$2.18 TJS 20.14

-57.80%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$1.83 TJS 16.93

-13.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$11.95 TJS 110

8.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.38

$3.95 TJS 36.45

-15.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ¥74.7

$11.51 TJS 106

-2.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$1.64 TJS 15.12

9.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$2.73 TJS 25.26

-52.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$2.60 TJS 24.05

-43.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$0.86 TJS 7.91

53.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$0.62 TJS 5.74

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.38 TJS 3.54

142.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.81 TJS 7.47

-27.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.63 TJS 5.84

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$2.69 TJS 24.86

40.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 ¥81.1

$11.39 TJS 105

6.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.31 TJS 12.06

-37.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.87 TJS 17.23

-12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.28 TJS 2.61

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.33 ¥149

$24.46 TJS 226

-8.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$1.07 TJS 9.90

42.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$0.34 TJS 3.17

2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$6.43 TJS 59.4

8.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$1.18 TJS 10.91

11.02%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$20.8K TJS 192.2K

-8.57%

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

$17.0K ¥113.7K

$23.0K TJS 212.1K

-25.89%

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

$54.1 ¥362

$52.6 TJS 486

2.89%

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

$8.42 ¥56.3

$9.04 TJS 83.5

-6.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 ¥71.6

$19.20 TJS 177

-44.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.72 ¥272

$38.59 TJS 357

5.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 ¥97.4

$13.72 TJS 127

6.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.15

$5.34 TJS 49.34

26.59%

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

$462 ¥3,089

$101 TJS 933

357.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$6,568 TJS 60.7K

198.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 ¥305

$25.13 TJS 232

81.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥241

$42.75 TJS 395

-15.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$66.3 TJS 613

13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$59.0 TJS 545

33.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,577

$525 TJS 4,847

-26.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,601

$306 TJS 2,825

-21.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 ¥5,637

$762 TJS 7,042

10.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥3,083

$555 TJS 5,126

-16.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,590 ¥30.7K

$1,235 TJS 11.4K

271.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$666 TJS 6,155

242.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 ¥7,082

$404 TJS 3,737

161.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

22.56

-84.66%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tajikistan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30.1%

Tajikistan

$306 35.7% 27.6% $66

Groceries & Markets

China

$207 26.1%

Tajikistan

$209 24.3% 0.7% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

China

$106 13.4%

Tajikistan

$87 10.2% 18.1% $19

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Tajikistan

$97 11.3% 10.6% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.2%

Tajikistan

$81 9.4% 10.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Tajikistan

$49 5.8% 9.1% $5

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Tajikistan

$28 3.3% 6.1% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $297 in China, $243 in Tajikistan. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $636 in Dushanbe.

National salary averages: $868 in China, $374 in Tajikistan. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 22% higher in China.

Dining out costs 110% more in China.

Public transport is 183% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 132% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇹🇯 Tajikistan

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

19:21 7:21 PM

3 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

9,504,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Tajikistani Somoni TJS ЅМ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 TJS = 10.83 USD

100 TJS = 9.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TJS, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Tajikistani Somoni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.24 TJS (1 TJS = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.35 TJS (100 TJS = 9.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Tajikistan 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Tajikistan

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 Tajikistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $784 per month in China and $837 in Tajikistan, there's a 7% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, China 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.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Tajikistan 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: China wins on affordability; Tajikistan may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.