Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timor-Leste and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,598 in Timor-Leste, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Timor-Leste
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Timor-Leste Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,598

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,598 in Timor-Leste versus $800 in China.

Timor-Leste $1,598
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Timor-Leste versus $1,266 in China.

Timor-Leste $2,482
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,366 in Timor-Leste versus $1,731 in China.

Timor-Leste $3,366
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in Timor-Leste: monthly costs span $1,619 to $1,619, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Timor-Leste.

Living in Timor-Leste is roughly 100% more expensive than in China on average.

Timor-Leste (18% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 $5.11

$2.92 ¥19.50

75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.38 $35.38

$22.45 ¥150

57.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 $6.57

$5.33 ¥35.65

23.26%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$3.04 ¥20.34

29.93%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$0.48 ¥3.23

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.30 ¥2.02

860.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.07 ¥7.12

177.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.26 ¥15.11

72.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.75 ¥11.70

30.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.62 ¥10.80

49.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.99 ¥6.63

-2.02%

Eggs

$2.64 $2.64

$1.56 ¥10.44

69.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$13.25 ¥88.6

-85.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 $9.62

$3.37 ¥22.50

185.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$11.39 ¥76.2

38.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.82 ¥12.19

80.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.25 ¥8.34

48.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.55 ¥10.39

60.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.28 ¥8.55

80.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.71 ¥4.72

69.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.86 ¥5.75

39.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.65 ¥4.36

32.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.59 ¥3.97

72.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.76 ¥25.14

-19.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$11.76 ¥78.6

0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.91 ¥6.11

151.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.62 ¥10.86

73.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.31 ¥2.10

-22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.44 $42.44

$22.75 ¥152

86.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.52 ¥10.17

136.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.63 $3.63

$0.37 ¥2.50

881.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$7.28 ¥48.66

169.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.25 ¥8.38

13.60%

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

$20.1K $20.1K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

3.65%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

4.90%

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

$147 $147

$55.5 ¥371

165.72%

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

$26.97 $26.97

$8.29 ¥55.4

225.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.97 ¥73.3

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.1 $74.1

$40.38 ¥270

83.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 $6.06

$6.76 ¥45.18

-10.36%

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

$1,527 $1,527

$465 ¥3,108

228.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-18.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$46.32 ¥310

31.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.83 $29.83

$36.30 ¥243

-17.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$76.3 ¥510

4.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 $59.1

$78.8 ¥527

-25.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 $830

$396 ¥2,646

109.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$240 ¥1,604

210.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 $2,689

$822 ¥5,499

227.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 $1,533

$466 ¥3,116

228.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,544 ¥30.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 ¥15.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,866 $4,866

$1,075 ¥7,188

352.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.46

55.20%

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

Last update for Timor-Leste: October 18, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timor-Leste

$745 46.6%

China

$240 30% 67.8% $505

Groceries & Markets

Timor-Leste

$274 17.2%

China

$209 26.1% 23.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timor-Leste

$174 * 10.9%

China

$75 9.3% 57.1% $100

Eating Out

Timor-Leste

$149 9.3%

China

$89 11.1% 40.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Timor-Leste

$103 6.5%

China

$107 13.4% 3.6% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Timor-Leste

$86 5.4%

China

$54 6.7% 37.5% $32

Getting Around

Timor-Leste

$65 4.1%

China

$27 3.4% 57.9% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $815 in Timor-Leste, $299 in China. Capital cities: $815 in Dili vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $3,531 in Timor-Leste, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 173% higher in Timor-Leste.

Dining out costs 138% more in Timor-Leste.

Public transport is 82% more expensive in Timor-Leste.

Salaries are 306% higher in Timor-Leste, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Timor-Leste.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

1 h behind Timor-Leste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,243,235

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

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Timor-Leste China 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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

Timor-Leste vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,598 in Timor-Leste, there's a 100% gap. 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 $815 in Timor-Leste and $299 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 Timor-Leste 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; Timor-Leste may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.