Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

Iran

Karaj vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Karaj is 25.5% cheaper than Beijing.

Restaurants: pay 2.2 times more in Karaj
Groceries: pay 47.3% less in Karaj
Transportation: pay 9.9% less in Karaj
Housing: pay 57.1% less in Karaj
Childcare: pay 90.0% less in Karaj
Entertainment and Sports: pay 60.2% less in Karaj
Clothing: pay 30.7% less in Karaj

Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, clothing, and transportation are lower in Karaj. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Karaj.

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Karaj vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Karaj instead of Beijing, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.2 times more for restaurants

	Beijing	Karaj
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.47 CN¥30.00	$3.75 IRR5M	-16.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.22 CN¥35.00	$4.00 IRR5M	-23.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.52 CN¥3.50	$0.45 IRR623K	-13.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.27 CN¥1.83	$1.69 IRR2M	+520.8%
Average			+117.0%

Beijing vs. Karaj - Cost of restaurants

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pay 47.3% less for groceries

	Beijing	Karaj
Bread 1 loaf	$1.73 CN¥11.58	$0.50 IRR686K	-71.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.22 CN¥48.38	$2.21 IRR3M	-69.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.41 CN¥42.97	$2.53 IRR3M	-60.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.02 CN¥13.56	$1.05 IRR1M	-48.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.47 CN¥9.83	$1.53 IRR2M	+4.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.93 CN¥6.26	$0.40 IRR550K	-57.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.79 CN¥5.29	$0.78 IRR1M	-0.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.93 CN¥6.22	$0.34 IRR471K	-63.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.71 CN¥4.76	$0.22 IRR301K	-69.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.32 CN¥2.15	$0.20 IRR274K	-38.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.40 CN¥2.66	$0.21 IRR284K	-47.9%
Average			-47.3%

Beijing vs. Karaj - Cost of groceries

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pay 9.9% less for transportation

	Beijing	Karaj
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.96 CN¥33.27	$0.34 IRR462K	-93.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$34.30 CN¥230.01	$13.00 IRR18M	-62.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	$50,000.00 IRR69B	+158.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.68 CN¥31.40	$2.70 IRR4M	-42.3%
Average			-9.9%

Beijing vs. Karaj - Cost of transportation

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pay 57.1% less for housing

	Beijing	Karaj
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$14.27 CN¥95.67	$3.70 IRR5M	-74.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$936.67 CN¥6,280.28	$292.57 IRR402M	-68.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$530.98 CN¥3,560.16	$489.49 IRR673M	-7.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$44.49 CN¥298.28	$9.95 IRR14M	-77.6%
Average			-57.1%

Beijing vs. Karaj - Cost of housing

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pay 90.0% less for childcare

	Beijing	Karaj
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$653.29 CN¥4,380.22	$107.76 IRR148M	-83.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$24,281.96 CN¥163K	$827.70 IRR1B	-96.6%
Average			-90.0%

Beijing vs. Karaj - Cost of childcare

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pay 60.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Beijing	Karaj
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.19 CN¥8.00	$0.50 IRR687K	-58.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.60 CN¥24.14	$1.08 IRR1M	-70.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.33 CN¥29.00	$2.50 IRR3M	-42.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.45 CN¥277.90	$22.73 IRR31M	-45.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.46 CN¥50.00	$1.09 IRR2M	-85.4%
Average			-60.2%

Beijing vs. Karaj - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 30.7% less for clothing

	Beijing	Karaj
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$70.55 CN¥473.02	$25.00 IRR34M	-64.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$40.41 CN¥270.93	$28.33 IRR39M	-29.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$86.99 CN¥583.23	$97.31 IRR134M	+11.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$125.40 CN¥840.79	$75.17 IRR103M	-40.1%
Average			-30.7%

Beijing vs. Karaj - Cost of clothing

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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: October 2026

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