Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Gambia and China

Name: China
Address: CN

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.

34

Cost of Living Index in the Gambia
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Gambia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇬🇲 Gambia

$701

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Gambia 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 the Gambia and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Gambia $701
China $789

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

Gambia $1,207
China $1,254

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

Gambia $1,713
China $1,720

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

Living in the Gambia costs about 11% less than in China on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.57 GMD 487

$3.04 ¥20.24

116.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 GMD 5,431

$22.12 ¥147

231.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 GMD 580

$5.37 ¥35.74

45.62%

Cappuccino

$3.39 GMD 251

$2.93 ¥19.53

15.70%

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

$2.17 GMD 161

$0.48 ¥3.21

352.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 GMD 101

$0.30 ¥2.01

353.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 GMD 416

$1.07 ¥7.15

423.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 GMD 336

$2.21 ¥14.69

105.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 GMD 103

$1.80 ¥12.00

-23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 GMD 53.2

$1.62 ¥10.76

-55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 GMD 84.5

$0.99 ¥6.58

15.15%

Eggs

$2.09 GMD 155

$1.62 ¥10.79

29.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.96 GMD 442

$13.44 ¥89.5

-55.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 GMD 635

$3.46 ¥23.04

147.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.55 GMD 412

$11.15 ¥74.2

-50.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 GMD 155

$1.89 ¥12.60

10.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 GMD 116

$1.31 ¥8.72

19.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 GMD 155

$1.50 ¥9.97

39.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 GMD 132

$1.34 ¥8.90

32.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 GMD 73.1

$0.72 ¥4.77

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 GMD 72.9

$0.93 ¥6.21

5.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.26 GMD 19.15

$0.65 ¥4.35

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 GMD 29.00

$0.60 ¥3.98

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.75 GMD 130

$3.82 ¥25.42

-54.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 GMD 487

$12.18 ¥81.1

-46.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 GMD 119

$0.91 ¥6.04

75.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 GMD 123

$1.65 ¥10.96

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 GMD 24.36

$0.29 ¥1.92

13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.73 GMD 499

$18.07 ¥120

-62.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.22

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 GMD 49.04

$0.37 ¥2.46

78.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 GMD 306

$6.69 ¥44.57

-38.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 GMD 77.4

$1.28 ¥8.49

-18.75%

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

$2,612 GMD 193.7K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

-86.77%

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

$3,303 GMD 244.9K

$17.5K ¥116.2K

-81.08%

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

$30.50 GMD 2,262

$55.3 ¥368

-44.87%

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

$14.36 GMD 1,065

$8.32 ¥55.4

72.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 GMD 3,907

$11.12 ¥74.1

373.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.45 GMD 1,739

$39.65 ¥264

-40.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.81 GMD 1,024

$15.17 ¥101

-8.97%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 GMD 247

$6.65 ¥44.26

-49.92%

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

$6.63 GMD 492

$514 ¥3,425

-98.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$138 GMD 10.2K

$34.9K ¥232.4K

-99.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 GMD 4,126

$45.85 ¥305

21.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 GMD 3,287

$35.41 ¥236

25.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 GMD 7,427

$76.0 ¥506

31.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 GMD 6,324

$80.0 ¥533

6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 GMD 7,466

$380 ¥2,527

-73.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.3 GMD 6,099

$232 ¥1,543

-64.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 GMD 15.9K

$836 ¥5,563

-74.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 GMD 7,621

$462 ¥3,074

-77.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,478 GMD 109.6K

$4,743 ¥31.6K

-68.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,150 GMD 85.3K

$2,383 ¥15.9K

-51.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$62.2 GMD 4,614

$1,117 ¥7,436

-94.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.45

334.78%

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

Last update for the Gambia: November 1, 2026

Last update for China: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gambia

$184 26.2%

China

$212 26.8% 15.3% $28

Eating Out

Gambia

$168 24%

China

$89 11.2% 47.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Gambia

$128 18.3%

China

$107 13.5% 16.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gambia

$98 13.9%

China

$75 9.5% 23.4% $23

Accommodation & Living

Gambia

$82 11.7%

China

$232 29.4% 182% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Gambia

$30 4.3%

China

$53 6.7% 75.9% $23

Getting Around

Gambia

$11 * 1.6%

China

$23 2.9% 99.2% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $62 in the Gambia, $881 in China. 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

🇬🇲 Gambia

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

8 h ahead of the Gambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,639,916

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 GMD = 1.35 USD

100 GMD = 1.2 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to GMD – Gambian Dalasi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇲 Gambian Dalasi (D)

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).

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).

USD to GMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gambia China 12,350 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Gambia
China

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

Gambia vs China: 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.