Cost of living comparison
compared to
Nara vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary
Nara is 37.0% more expensive than Beijing.
- Restaurants
-
pay 87.5% more in Nara
- Groceries
-
pay 49.4% more in Nara
- Transportation
-
pay 2.2 times more in Nara
- Housing
-
pay 47.4% more in Nara
- Childcare
-
pay 64.8% less in Nara
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.7% more in Nara
- Clothing
-
pay 25.9% less in Nara
The cost of transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and housing in Nara are more expensive than in Beijing. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Nara. Notably, transportation and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Nara.
Nara vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Nara instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 87.5% more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Nara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.21
CN¥29.67
|
$6.68
¥1,041
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.91
CN¥34.62
|
$5.51
¥859
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.48
CN¥3.38
|
$1.14
¥177
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.17
|
$0.74
¥116
|
|
Beijing vs. Nara - Cost of restaurants
pay 49.4% more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Nara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
CN¥12.04
|
$1.40
¥219
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
CN¥52.69
|
$5.08
¥791
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.64
CN¥46.85
|
$6.11
¥952
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.78
CN¥12.53
|
$2.33
¥363
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥10.80
|
$2.80
¥437
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
CN¥6.93
|
$1.57
¥245
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
CN¥5.43
|
$0.94
¥146
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.80
CN¥5.65
|
$1.11
¥173
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
CN¥4.25
|
$1.93
¥301
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.35
CN¥2.46
|
$0.74
¥115
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.41
CN¥2.91
|
$0.55
¥86
|
|
Beijing vs. Nara - Cost of groceries
pay 2.2 times more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Nara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.21
CN¥29.71
|
$4.43
¥690
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$31.54
CN¥222.53
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$18,225.66
CN¥128,572.93
|
$22,332.63
¥3,478,419
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.63
CN¥32.64
|
$19.38
¥3,018
|
|
Beijing vs. Nara - Cost of transportation
pay 47.4% more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Nara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$12.93
CN¥91.22
|
$29.29
¥4,562
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$935.23
CN¥6,597.60
|
$417.65
¥65,051
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$504.41
CN¥3,558.33
|
$350.83
¥54,643
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$39.27
CN¥277.00
|
$97.60
¥15,202
|
|
Beijing vs. Nara - Cost of housing
pay 64.8% less for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Nara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$710.76
CN¥5,014.09
|
$167.06
¥26,020
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,242.73
CN¥163,965.81
|
$10,914.61
¥1,700,005
|
|
Beijing vs. Nara - Cost of childcare
pay 49.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Nara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.12
CN¥7.91
|
$3.31
¥515
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.90
CN¥20.47
|
$2.79
¥435
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.21
CN¥29.67
|
$3.34
¥520
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$57.84
CN¥408.00
|
$77.96
¥12,143
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.41
CN¥59.34
|
$12.03
¥1,873
|
|
Beijing vs. Nara - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.9% less for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Nara
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.30
CN¥439.49
|
$43.58
¥6,788
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.37
CN¥256.59
|
$28.07
¥4,371
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.74
CN¥576.64
|
$53.46
¥8,327
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.53
CN¥744.46
|
$88.54
¥13,791
|
|
Beijing vs. Nara - 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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