Cost of living comparison
compared to
China vs. Bhutan Cost of Living Summary
China is 3.4 times more expensive than Bhutan overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.9% more in China
- Groceries
-
pay 48.4% more in China
- Transportation
-
pay 2.2 times more in China
- Housing
-
pay 98.8% more in China
- Childcare
-
pay 12.8 times more in China
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 19.2% more in China
- Clothing
-
pay 3.1 times more in China
The cost of childcare, clothing, transportation, housing, groceries, and restaurants in China are more expensive than in Bhutan. Notably, childcare, clothing, and transportation are significantly more expensive in China.
China vs. Bhutan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in China instead of Bhutan, you would:
pay 22.9% more for restaurants
|
Bhutan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
$2.90
CN¥20.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
$5.02
CN¥35.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.53
BTN47.27
|
$0.47
CN¥3.36
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.18
BTN16.34
|
$0.28
CN¥1.96
|
|
Bhutan vs. China - Cost of restaurants
pay 48.4% more for groceries
|
Bhutan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.89
BTN79.45
|
$1.63
CN¥11.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$1.61
BTN143.31
|
$6.32
CN¥44.71
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.03
BTN270.30
|
$6.70
CN¥47.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.96
BTN174.59
|
$1.56
CN¥11.05
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.70
BTN151.45
|
$1.52
CN¥10.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.09
BTN97.32
|
$0.74
CN¥5.25
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
BTN58.39
|
$0.55
CN¥3.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
BTN73.75
|
$0.62
CN¥4.41
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.33
BTN29.27
|
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.23
BTN20.15
|
$0.30
CN¥2.13
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.26
BTN23.19
|
$0.39
CN¥2.79
|
|
Bhutan vs. China - Cost of groceries
pay 2.2 times more for transportation
|
Bhutan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.03
BTN270.45
|
$4.34
CN¥30.68
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$4.01
BTN357.20
|
$20.32
CN¥143.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$19,143.98
CN¥135,449.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.89
BTN1,684.56
|
$3.94
CN¥27.89
|
|
Bhutan vs. China - Cost of transportation
pay 98.8% more for housing
|
Bhutan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$26.44
BTN2,358.11
|
$11.18
CN¥79.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$122.58
BTN10,932.01
|
$304.90
CN¥2,157.22
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$71.54
BTN6,380.34
|
$195.65
CN¥1,384.25
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$17.80
BTN1,587.71
|
$41.04
CN¥290.39
|
|
Bhutan vs. China - Cost of housing
pay 12.8 times more for childcare
|
Bhutan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$235.40
BTN20,994.09
|
$390.25
CN¥2,761.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$648.40
BTN57,828.02
|
$15,493.57
CN¥109,621.66
|
|
Bhutan vs. China - Cost of childcare
pay 19.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
Bhutan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
$1.04
CN¥7.37
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.40
BTN124.71
|
$2.84
CN¥20.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.66
BTN326.85
|
$3.36
CN¥23.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$46.99
BTN4,190.44
|
$41.13
CN¥290.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
$5.98
CN¥42.33
|
|
Bhutan vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.1 times more for clothing
|
Bhutan
|
China
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$9.02
BTN804.56
|
$45.93
CN¥324.95
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$11.28
BTN1,005.70
|
$30.93
CN¥218.85
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
$71.26
CN¥504.18
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
$72.88
CN¥515.65
|
|
Bhutan vs. China - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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