Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Djibouti and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,068 in Djibouti, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Djibouti
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Djibouti Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇩🇯 Djibouti

$2,068

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Djibouti and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,068 in Djibouti versus $791 in China.

Djibouti $2,068
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,229 in Djibouti versus $1,251 in China.

Djibouti $3,229
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,389 in Djibouti versus $1,711 in China.

Djibouti $4,389
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $2,069–$2,069 in Djibouti. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Djibouti is roughly 161% more expensive than in China on average.

Djibouti (52% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.60 DJF 1,710

$2.98 ¥19.76

222.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.3 DJF 13.1K

$22.09 ¥147

231.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 DJF 2,764

$5.20 ¥34.51

198.46%

Cappuccino

$3.45 DJF 615

$2.97 ¥19.68

16.16%

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

$1.86 DJF 330

$0.48 ¥3.18

287.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 DJF 299

$0.30 ¥2.00

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 DJF 1,218

$1.08 ¥7.16

533.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.21 DJF 1,462

$2.28 ¥15.11

260.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.85 DJF 509

$1.80 ¥11.93

58.33%

White Bread (500g)

$9.42 DJF 1,678

$1.68 ¥11.12

460.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 DJF 496

$0.92 ¥6.12

203.26%

Eggs

$5.84 DJF 1,041

$1.61 ¥10.70

262.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.73 DJF 1,732

$13.38 ¥88.8

-27.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.01 DJF 3,208

$3.35 ¥22.22

437.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 DJF 2,191

$11.35 ¥75.3

8.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 DJF 661

$1.82 ¥12.09

103.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 DJF 214

$1.31 ¥8.67

-8.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 DJF 468

$1.49 ¥9.86

76.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 DJF 281

$1.27 ¥8.45

24.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 DJF 279

$0.71 ¥4.72

119.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 DJF 301

$0.93 ¥6.20

81.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.71 DJF 1,016

$0.62 ¥4.11

820.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 DJF 96.0

$0.56 ¥3.73

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 DJF 346

$3.78 ¥25.08

-48.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.72 DJF 3,691

$12.13 ¥80.5

70.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 DJF 426

$0.83 ¥5.52

187.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 DJF 615

$1.68 ¥11.18

105.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 DJF 77.0

$0.29 ¥1.91

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.59 DJF 7,587

$17.83 ¥118

138.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 DJF 506

$1.49 ¥9.87

90.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.59 DJF 996

$0.37 ¥2.49

1410.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.15 DJF 5,015

$7.10 ¥47.11

296.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 DJF 398

$1.26 ¥8.35

76.98%

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

$34.0K DJF 6.1M

$19.4K ¥129.1K

74.68%

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

$33.3K DJF 5.9M

$17.5K ¥116.4K

89.89%

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

$526 DJF 93.6K

$54.6 ¥362

863.27%

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

$32.11 DJF 5,719

$8.73 ¥58.0

267.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 DJF 10.7K

$11.07 ¥73.5

441.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.8 DJF 15.3K

$40.77 ¥271

110.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.63 DJF 5,099

$14.48 ¥96.1

97.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 DJF 2,219

$6.78 ¥45.00

83.78%

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

$338 DJF 60.2K

$517 ¥3,429

-34.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,942 DJF 1.6M

$19.8K ¥131.5K

-54.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.81 DJF 7,626

$46.53 ¥309

-7.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.91 DJF 3,546

$35.66 ¥237

-44.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 DJF 21.6K

$77.0 ¥511

57.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.1 DJF 9,815

$80.3 ¥533

-31.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 DJF 120.2K

$386 ¥2,560

74.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 DJF 84.1K

$235 ¥1,557

101.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 DJF 178.0K

$822 ¥5,454

21.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 DJF 224.9K

$453 ¥3,007

178.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K DJF 2.2M

$4,697 ¥31.2K

167.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,183 DJF 1.1M

$2,372 ¥15.7K

160.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,790 DJF 496.9K

$1,093 ¥7,255

155.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.07

3.46

277.75%

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

Last update for Djibouti: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Djibouti

$618 29.9%

China

$74 9.4% 88% $543

Accommodation & Living

Djibouti

$472 22.8%

China

$235 29.6% 50.3% $238

Groceries & Markets

Djibouti

$455 22%

China

$210 26.5% 53.9% $245

Eating Out

Djibouti

$230 11.1%

China

$88 11.1% 61.6% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Djibouti

$111 5.4%

China

$54 6.9% 50.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Djibouti

$108 5.2%

China

$108 13.6% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Djibouti

$75 3.6%

China

$22 2.8% 70.3% $53

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $672 in Djibouti, $298 in China. Capital cities: $672 in Djibouti vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,785 in Djibouti, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 126% higher in Djibouti.

Dining out costs 227% more in Djibouti.

Public transport is 139% more expensive in Djibouti.

Salaries are about 3.2 times higher in Djibouti, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Djibouti.

Good to know

🇩🇯 Djibouti

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

5 h ahead of Djibouti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,152,944

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Djiboutian Franc DJF Fr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD

1,000 DJF = 5.01 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to DJF – Djiboutian Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇯 Djiboutian Franc (Fr)

Djiboutian Franc exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 178 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 200 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.01 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to DJF in detail →

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Between locations

Djibouti China 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Djibouti
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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

Djibouti vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $2,068 in Djibouti, China comes out about 62% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $672 in Djibouti and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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