Cost of living comparison
compared to
Bhutan vs. China Cost of Living Summary
Bhutan is 8.5% cheaper than China overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.3% less in Bhutan
- Groceries
-
pay 12.0% less in Bhutan
- Transportation
-
pay 89.6% more in Bhutan
- Housing
-
pay 10.8% less in Bhutan
- Childcare
-
pay 67.8% less in Bhutan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.0% more in Bhutan
- Clothing
-
pay 64.5% less in Bhutan
The cost of transportation and entertainment and sports in Bhutan are more expensive than in China. Expenses including childcare, clothing, restaurants, groceries, and housing are lower in Bhutan. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Bhutan.
Bhutan vs. China Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Bhutan instead of China, you would:
pay 14.3% less for restaurants
|
China
|
Bhutan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.90
CN¥20.50
|
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.02
CN¥35.49
|
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
CN¥3.36
|
$0.53
BTN47.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.28
CN¥1.96
|
$0.18
BTN16.34
|
|
China vs. Bhutan - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.0% less for groceries
|
China
|
Bhutan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
CN¥11.52
|
$0.89
BTN79.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
CN¥44.71
|
$1.61
BTN143.31
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
CN¥47.44
|
$3.03
BTN270.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.56
CN¥11.05
|
$1.96
BTN174.59
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.52
CN¥10.78
|
$1.70
BTN151.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.74
CN¥5.25
|
$1.09
BTN97.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
CN¥3.86
|
$0.65
BTN58.39
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.41
|
$0.83
BTN73.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
$0.33
BTN29.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
CN¥2.13
|
$0.23
BTN20.15
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.39
CN¥2.79
|
$0.26
BTN23.19
|
|
China vs. Bhutan - Cost of groceries
pay 89.6% more for transportation
|
China
|
Bhutan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
CN¥30.68
|
$3.03
BTN270.45
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.32
CN¥143.78
|
$4.01
BTN357.20
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,143.98
CN¥135,449.43
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.94
CN¥27.89
|
$18.89
BTN1,684.56
|
|
China vs. Bhutan - Cost of transportation
pay 10.8% less for housing
|
China
|
Bhutan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.18
CN¥79.08
|
$26.44
BTN2,358.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$304.90
CN¥2,157.22
|
$122.58
BTN10,932.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.65
CN¥1,384.25
|
$71.54
BTN6,380.34
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.04
CN¥290.39
|
$17.80
BTN1,587.71
|
|
China vs. Bhutan - Cost of housing
pay 67.8% less for childcare
|
China
|
Bhutan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$390.25
CN¥2,761.13
|
$235.40
BTN20,994.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,493.57
CN¥109,621.66
|
$648.40
BTN57,828.02
|
|
China vs. Bhutan - Cost of childcare
pay 20.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
China
|
Bhutan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.04
CN¥7.37
|
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.84
CN¥20.07
|
$1.40
BTN124.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
CN¥23.77
|
$3.66
BTN326.85
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.13
CN¥290.99
|
$46.99
BTN4,190.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.98
CN¥42.33
|
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
|
China vs. Bhutan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 64.5% less for clothing
|
China
|
Bhutan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
CN¥324.95
|
$9.02
BTN804.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.93
CN¥218.85
|
$11.28
BTN1,005.70
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.26
CN¥504.18
|
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.88
CN¥515.65
|
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
|
China vs. Bhutan - 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Bhutan or China. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.