Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkmenistan and China

Name: China
Address: CN

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.

161

Cost of Living Index in Turkmenistan
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Turkmenistan Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,335

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Turkmenistan $3,335
China $791

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

Turkmenistan $5,008
China $1,251

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

Turkmenistan $6,680
China $1,711

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 Turkmenistan is roughly 321% more expensive than in China on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.53 TMT 95.6

$2.98 ¥19.84

857.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 TMT 284

$22.09 ¥147

284.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.69 TMT 42.51

$5.20 ¥34.66

144.04%

Cappuccino

$7.16 TMT 24.00

$2.97 ¥19.77

141.08%

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

$2.63 TMT 8.81

$0.48 ¥3.19

447.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 TMT 2.90

$0.30 ¥2.01

186.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 TMT 17.70

$1.08 ¥7.19

388.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.84 TMT 43.00

$2.28 ¥15.18

463.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.29 TMT 14.36

$1.80 ¥11.98

138.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 TMT 6.74

$1.68 ¥11.17

19.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 TMT 18.30

$0.92 ¥6.14

493.48%

Eggs

$6.09 TMT 20.39

$1.61 ¥10.75

278.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$33.67 TMT 113

$13.38 ¥89.2

151.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.88 TMT 59.9

$3.35 ¥22.31

433.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.34 TMT 81.6

$11.35 ¥75.7

114.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 TMT 14.71

$1.82 ¥12.14

141.21%

Banana (1kg)

$8.32 TMT 27.89

$1.31 ¥8.71

535.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.27 TMT 24.36

$1.49 ¥9.91

387.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 TMT 12.71

$1.27 ¥8.49

198.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 TMT 8.02

$0.71 ¥4.74

236.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 TMT 4.99

$0.93 ¥6.22

60.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 TMT 9.10

$0.62 ¥4.12

338.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 TMT 3.84

$0.56 ¥3.75

105.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.68 TMT 86.0

$3.78 ¥25.19

579.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$40.46 TMT 136

$12.13 ¥80.9

233.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.21 TMT 17.46

$0.83 ¥5.55

527.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 TMT 9.41

$1.68 ¥11.23

67.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 TMT 0.52

$0.29 ¥1.92

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.92 TMT 33.24

$17.83 ¥119

-44.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 TMT 9.69

$1.49 ¥9.91

93.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 TMT 2.77

$0.37 ¥2.50

124.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.43 TMT 28.23

$7.10 ¥47.31

18.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 TMT 1.49

$1.26 ¥8.39

-64.29%

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

$43.5K TMT 145.7K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

123.70%

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

$56.5K TMT 189.2K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

222.12%

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

$571 TMT 1,913

$54.6 ¥364

946.77%

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

$54.8 TMT 184

$8.73 ¥58.2

527.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.1 TMT 325

$11.07 ¥73.8

776.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$198 TMT 663

$40.77 ¥272

385.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.84 TMT 150

$14.48 ¥96.5

209.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 TMT 28.27

$6.78 ¥45.19

24.48%

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

$22.93 TMT 76.8

$517 ¥3,443

-95.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K TMT 83.3K

$19.8K ¥132.0K

25.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 TMT 184

$46.53 ¥310

18.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$115 TMT 385

$35.66 ¥238

222.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$363 TMT 1,218

$77.0 ¥513

372.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$190 TMT 635

$80.3 ¥535

136.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 TMT 4,664

$386 ¥2,572

260.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 TMT 3,337

$235 ¥1,563

324.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 TMT 5,970

$822 ¥5,478

116.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 TMT 6,467

$453 ¥3,020

326.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,525 TMT 11.8K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-24.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,833 TMT 9,491

$2,372 ¥15.8K

19.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$693 TMT 2,320

$1,093 ¥7,286

-36.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

3.46

174.57%

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

Last update for Turkmenistan: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turkmenistan

$996 29.9%

China

$235 29.6% 76.5% $762

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turkmenistan

$723 21.7%

China

$74 9.4% 89.7% $649

Groceries & Markets

Turkmenistan

$640 19.2%

China

$210 26.5% 67.2% $430

Eating Out

Turkmenistan

$418 12.5%

China

$88 11.1% 78.9% $330

Clothing & Footwear

Turkmenistan

$325 9.8%

China

$108 13.6% 66.9% $218

Sport & Entertainment

Turkmenistan

$215 6.4%

China

$54 6.9% 74.7% $160

Getting Around

Turkmenistan

$18 0.5%

China

$22 2.8% 27.2% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $479 in Turkmenistan, $873 in China. 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

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

3 h ahead of Turkmenistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,117,933

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.268 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Turkmenistan China 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Turkmenistan
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

Turkmenistan vs China: 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.