Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ames vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary
Ames is 2.4 times more expensive than Beijing.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.7 times more in Ames
- Groceries
-
pay 2.7 times more in Ames
- Transportation
-
pay 90.2% more in Ames
- Housing
-
pay 2.8 times more in Ames
- Childcare
-
pay 86.1% more in Ames
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 98.9% more in Ames
- Clothing
-
pay 9.8% more in Ames
The cost of restaurants, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, transportation, and childcare in Ames are more expensive than in Beijing. Notably, restaurants, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Ames.
Ames vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ames instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 4.7 times more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Ames
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.21
CN¥29.61
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.91
CN¥34.55
|
$9.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.48
CN¥3.38
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.16
|
$2.17
|
|
Beijing vs. Ames - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.7 times more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Ames
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
CN¥12.02
|
$3.66
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
CN¥52.59
|
$6.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.64
CN¥46.76
|
$3.50
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.78
CN¥12.51
|
$3.42
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥10.78
|
$6.43
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
CN¥6.92
|
$2.55
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.42
|
$0.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.80
CN¥5.64
|
$3.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
CN¥4.24
|
$2.28
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.35
CN¥2.45
|
$1.51
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.41
CN¥2.90
|
$1.87
|
|
Beijing vs. Ames - Cost of groceries
pay 90.2% more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Ames
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.21
CN¥29.65
|
$3.19
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.54
CN¥222.11
|
$47.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$18,225.66
CN¥128,328.71
|
$25,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.63
CN¥32.58
|
$18.37
|
|
Beijing vs. Ames - Cost of transportation
pay 2.8 times more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Ames
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$12.93
CN¥91.05
|
$68.36
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$935.23
CN¥6,585.07
|
$975.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$504.41
CN¥3,551.57
|
$825.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$39.27
CN¥276.47
|
$131.42
|
|
Beijing vs. Ames - Cost of housing
pay 86.1% more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Ames
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$710.76
CN¥5,004.56
|
$1,833.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,242.73
CN¥163,654.36
|
$26,555.00
|
|
Beijing vs. Ames - Cost of childcare
pay 98.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Ames
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
CN¥7.90
|
$3.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.90
CN¥20.43
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.21
CN¥29.61
|
$8.99
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.84
CN¥407.23
|
$68.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.41
CN¥59.23
|
$15.00
|
|
Beijing vs. Ames - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.8% more for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Ames
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.30
CN¥438.66
|
$58.55
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.37
CN¥256.10
|
$46.87
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.74
CN¥575.54
|
$89.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.53
CN¥743.05
|
$113.12
|
|
Beijing vs. Ames - 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:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in China vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within China and United States.
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 Ames or Beijing. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.