Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Turkmenistan

Name: Turkmenistan
Address: TM

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $3,335 in Turkmenistan, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Turkmenistan
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Turkmenistan Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Turkmenistan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $3,335 in Turkmenistan.

China $791
Turkmenistan $3,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $5,008 in Turkmenistan.

China $1,251
Turkmenistan $5,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $6,680 in Turkmenistan.

China $1,711
Turkmenistan $6,680

Internal cost variation is higher in Turkmenistan: monthly costs span $465 to $3,400, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Turkmenistan.

Living in China costs about 76% less than in Turkmenistan on average.

China (42% below) and Turkmenistan (145% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$28.53 TMT 95.6

-89.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$84.8 TMT 284

-73.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$12.69 TMT 42.51

-59.02%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$7.16 TMT 24.00

-58.52%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$2.63 TMT 8.81

-81.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.86 TMT 2.90

-65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$5.28 TMT 17.70

-79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$12.84 TMT 43.00

-82.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$4.29 TMT 14.36

-58.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$2.01 TMT 6.74

-16.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$5.46 TMT 18.30

-83.15%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$6.09 TMT 20.39

-73.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$33.67 TMT 113

-60.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$17.88 TMT 59.9

-81.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$24.34 TMT 81.6

-53.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$4.39 TMT 14.71

-58.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$8.32 TMT 27.89

-84.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$7.27 TMT 24.36

-79.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$3.79 TMT 12.71

-66.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$2.39 TMT 8.02

-70.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.49 TMT 4.99

-37.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$2.72 TMT 9.10

-77.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$1.15 TMT 3.84

-51.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$25.68 TMT 86.0

-85.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$40.46 TMT 136

-70.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$5.21 TMT 17.46

-84.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$2.81 TMT 9.41

-40.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.16 TMT 0.52

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$9.92 TMT 33.24

79.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$2.89 TMT 9.69

-48.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.83 TMT 2.77

-55.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.24

$8.43 TMT 28.23

-15.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$0.45 TMT 1.49

180.00%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$43.5K TMT 145.7K

-55.30%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$56.5K TMT 189.2K

-68.96%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$571 TMT 1,913

-90.45%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$54.8 TMT 184

-84.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$97.1 TMT 325

-88.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$198 TMT 663

-79.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$44.84 TMT 150

-67.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$8.44 TMT 28.27

-19.67%

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

$517 ¥3,438

$22.93 TMT 76.8

2152.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$24.9K TMT 83.3K

-20.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$55.0 TMT 184

-15.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$115 TMT 385

-68.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$363 TMT 1,218

-78.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$190 TMT 635

-57.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$1,392 TMT 4,664

-72.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$996 TMT 3,337

-76.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$1,782 TMT 5,970

-53.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$1,931 TMT 6,467

-76.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$3,525 TMT 11.8K

33.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$2,833 TMT 9,491

-16.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$693 TMT 2,320

57.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

9.5

-63.58%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Turkmenistan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Turkmenistan

$996 29.9% 325% $762

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Turkmenistan

$640 19.2% 205% $430

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Turkmenistan

$325 9.8% 202% $218

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Turkmenistan

$418 12.5% 375% $330

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Turkmenistan

$723 21.7% 872% $649

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Turkmenistan

$215 6.4% 295% $160

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Turkmenistan

$18 0.5% 21.4% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $1,396 in Turkmenistan. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,396 in Ashgabat.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $479 in Turkmenistan. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 368% higher in Turkmenistan.

Dining out costs 291% more in Turkmenistan.

Public transport is 80% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 82% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

22:13 10:13 PM

3 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

6,117,933

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.268 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.73 TMT (1 TMT = 0.268 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Turkmenistan 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Turkmenistan

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 Turkmenistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $3,335 in Turkmenistan, there’s a 321% gap. 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 $1,396 in Turkmenistan and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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