Cost of living comparison
compared to
Lake Charles vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary
Lake Charles is 2.4 times more expensive than Beijing.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.6 times more in Lake Charles
- Groceries
-
pay 2.4 times more in Lake Charles
- Transportation
-
pay 2.0 times more in Lake Charles
- Housing
-
pay 3.0 times more in Lake Charles
- Childcare
-
pay 32.0% more in Lake Charles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.2 times more in Lake Charles
- Clothing
-
pay 6.0% less in Lake Charles
The cost of restaurants, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, transportation, and childcare in Lake Charles are more expensive than in Beijing. Notably, restaurants, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Lake Charles.
Lake Charles vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Lake Charles instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 4.6 times more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.21
CN¥29.76
|
$26.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.91
CN¥34.72
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.48
CN¥3.39
|
$1.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.17
|
$2.10
|
|
Beijing vs. Lake Charles - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.4 times more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
CN¥12.07
|
$4.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
CN¥52.84
|
$7.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.64
CN¥46.99
|
$5.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.78
CN¥12.57
|
$4.54
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥10.83
|
$4.97
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
CN¥6.95
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.44
|
$0.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.80
CN¥5.66
|
$0.89
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
CN¥4.26
|
$2.46
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.35
CN¥2.47
|
$1.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.41
CN¥2.92
|
$0.99
|
|
Beijing vs. Lake Charles - Cost of groceries
pay 2.0 times more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.21
CN¥29.80
|
$2.98
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.54
CN¥223.19
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$18,225.66
CN¥128,952.02
|
$36,884.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.63
CN¥32.73
|
$15.43
|
|
Beijing vs. Lake Charles - Cost of transportation
pay 3.0 times more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$12.93
CN¥91.49
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$935.23
CN¥6,617.06
|
$1,050.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$504.41
CN¥3,568.82
|
$1,000.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$39.27
CN¥277.81
|
$174.91
|
|
Beijing vs. Lake Charles - Cost of housing
pay 32.0% more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$710.76
CN¥5,028.87
|
$1,563.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,242.73
CN¥164,449.26
|
$10,230.00
|
|
Beijing vs. Lake Charles - Cost of childcare
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
CN¥7.94
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.90
CN¥20.53
|
$4.42
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.21
CN¥29.76
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.84
CN¥409.21
|
$32.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.41
CN¥59.52
|
$11.50
|
|
Beijing vs. Lake Charles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.0% less for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Lake Charles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.30
CN¥440.79
|
$47.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.37
CN¥257.35
|
$43.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.74
CN¥578.34
|
$71.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.53
CN¥746.66
|
$100.00
|
|
Beijing vs. Lake Charles - 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 Lake Charles or Beijing. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.