Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quanzhou and Bishkek

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $815 a month against $980 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index

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Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quanzhou and in Bishkek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Quanzhou versus $980 in Bishkek.

Quanzhou $815
Bishkek $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,204 in Quanzhou versus $1,503 in Bishkek.

Quanzhou $1,204
Bishkek $1,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,593 in Quanzhou versus $2,026 in Bishkek.

Quanzhou $1,593
Bishkek $2,026

Living in Quanzhou costs roughly 17% less than in Bishkek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quanzhou 40% lower, Bishkek 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.69

$7.02 KGS 614

-68.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.02 ¥201

$28.73 KGS 2,513

4.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ¥43.34

$5.73 KGS 501

13.09%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ¥21.82

$2.40 KGS 210

35.83%

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

$0.96 ¥6.40

$0.75 KGS 66.0

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.40 KGS 35.19

-32.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ¥19.70

$1.41 KGS 123

109.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.72

$1.89 KGS 165

-7.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.03 KGS 90.1

40.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ¥5.74

$0.38 KGS 33.63

126.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.64 KGS 144

-43.29%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.26

$1.77 KGS 155

-13.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 ¥51.4

$7.70 KGS 674

-0.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.36

$4.51 KGS 395

-49.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 ¥34.24

$9.00 KGS 787

-43.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$1.36 KGS 119

7.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$1.88 KGS 165

-47.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.80

$2.01 KGS 176

-64.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$1.53 KGS 134

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.11

$0.58 KGS 50.8

-20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ¥6.99

$0.48 KGS 41.73

118.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.16 ¥1.09

$0.70 KGS 61.2

-77.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.61 KGS 53.8

-21.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.07

$2.02 KGS 177

55.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$9.18 KGS 803

-16.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.91

$1.42 KGS 124

-38.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$2.01 KGS 176

-31.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.22 KGS 19.13

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.44 ¥157

$11.78 KGS 1,031

98.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$0.87 KGS 76.4

40.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$0.47 KGS 41.43

-25.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 ¥60.2

$5.65 KGS 494

59.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.02 KGS 89.4

22.55%

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

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

-41.28%

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

$15.7K ¥104.9K

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

-53.25%

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

$52.8 ¥353

$50.2 KGS 4,393

5.08%

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

$7.95 ¥53.2

$5.62 KGS 491

41.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.15 ¥81.2

$11.77 KGS 1,029

3.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ¥364

$55.0 KGS 4,813

-1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.63 ¥125

$14.87 KGS 1,301

25.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.83 ¥38.95

$5.68 KGS 497

2.64%

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

$514 ¥3,438

$222 KGS 19.4K

132.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥79.0K

$7,839 KGS 685.7K

50.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.64 ¥138

$55.4 KGS 4,843

-62.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.07 ¥228

$42.81 KGS 3,745

-20.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 ¥620

$89.6 KGS 7,841

3.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ¥645

$91.8 KGS 8,030

5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,850

$612 KGS 53.5K

-54.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,026

$410 KGS 35.8K

-26.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 ¥3,361

$1,041 KGS 91.1K

-51.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 ¥2,742

$708 KGS 62.0K

-42.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,004 ¥20.1K

$1,803 KGS 157.7K

66.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,008 ¥13.4K

$1,224 KGS 107.0K

64.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$829 ¥5,544

$514 KGS 45.0K

61.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

20.1

-84.33%

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

Last update for Quanzhou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quanzhou

$303 37.2%

Bishkek

$410 41.8% 35.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Quanzhou

$137 16.8%

Bishkek

$177 18% 29.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Quanzhou

$110 13.5%

Bishkek

$126 12.8% 14.6% $16

Eating Out

Quanzhou

$99 12.2%

Bishkek

$118 12% 18.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quanzhou

$73 8.9%

Bishkek

$68 6.9% 7.2% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Quanzhou

$66 8.1%

Bishkek

$66 6.8% 0.5% $0.3

Getting Around

Quanzhou

$28 3.4%

Bishkek

$16 1.6% 42.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Quanzhou and $612 in Bishkek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quanzhou pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Quanzhou vs $29.00 in Bishkek. Groceries flip the comparison at $137 vs $177, with Quanzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

2 h behind Quanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,128,530

1,012,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Quanzhou Bishkek 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Quanzhou
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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

Quanzhou vs Bishkek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Quanzhou, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $277 in Quanzhou versus $612 in Bishkek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $514 in Quanzhou versus $222 in Bishkek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Bishkek. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $815 in Quanzhou versus $980 in Bishkek, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quanzhou but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Quanzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quanzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bishkek, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Quanzhou and Bishkek are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Quanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.