Cost of living comparison

compared to

Saint-Etienne vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Saint-Etienne is 93.9% more expensive than Beijing.

Restaurants
pay 4.4 times more in Saint-Etienne
Groceries
pay 68.7% more in Saint-Etienne
Transportation
pay 2.1 times more in Saint-Etienne
Housing
pay 70.0% more in Saint-Etienne
Childcare
pay 26.9% less in Saint-Etienne
Entertainment and Sports
pay 95.6% more in Saint-Etienne
Clothing
pay 1.8% more in Saint-Etienne

The cost of restaurants, transportation, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and clothing in Saint-Etienne are more expensive than in Beijing. Notably, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Saint-Etienne.

Saint-Etienne vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Saint-Etienne instead of Beijing, you would:

pay 4.4 times more for restaurants

 
Beijing
Saint-Etienne
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.21
CN¥29.06
$17.52
€14.87
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.91
CN¥33.90
$12.85
€10.91
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.31
$2.69
€2.29

Improve prices ·

pay 68.7% more for groceries

 
Beijing
Saint-Etienne
Bread
1 loaf
$1.71
CN¥11.79
$1.17
€0.99
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.47
CN¥51.60
$9.05
€7.68
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
CN¥45.89
$4.97
€4.22

Improve prices ·

pay 2.1 times more for transportation

 
Beijing
Saint-Etienne
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.21
CN¥29.09
$7.78
€6.60
Monthly public transit pass $31.54
CN¥217.93
$40.88
€34.70
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,225.66
CN¥126K
$21,023.81
€17,844.76

Improve prices ·

pay 70.0% more for housing

 
Beijing
Saint-Etienne
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$12.93
CN¥89.34
$32.77
€27.81
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $935.23
CN¥6,461.29
$545.06
€462.64
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $504.41
CN¥3,484.81
$478.88
€406.46

Improve prices ·

pay 26.9% less for childcare

 
Beijing
Saint-Etienne
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $710.76
CN¥4,910.49
$788.39
€669.18
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,242.73
CN¥161K
$8,175.93
€6,939.63

Improve prices ·

pay 95.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Beijing
Saint-Etienne
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
CN¥7.75
$4.67
€3.97
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.90
CN¥20.05
$2.22
€1.88
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.21
CN¥29.06
$12.85
€10.91

Improve prices ·

pay 1.8% more for clothing

 
Beijing
Saint-Etienne
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.30
CN¥430.41
$73.97
€62.79
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.37
CN¥251.29
$23.36
€19.83
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.74
CN¥564.73
$97.33
€82.61

Improve prices ·
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: February 2026
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in China vs. France. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within China and France.

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 Saint-Etienne or Beijing. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.