Cost of living comparison

compared to

Salinas vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Salinas is 2.1% cheaper than Beijing.

Restaurants
pay 33.4% more in Salinas
Groceries
pay 1.5% less in Salinas
Transportation
pay 22.2% more in Salinas
Housing
pay 1.1% more in Salinas
Childcare
pay 69.9% less in Salinas
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.3% less in Salinas
Clothing
pay 3.3% more in Salinas

The cost of restaurants, transportation, clothing, and housing in Salinas are more expensive than in Beijing. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Salinas.

Salinas vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

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

pay 33.4% more for restaurants

 
Beijing
Salinas
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.21
CN¥29.76
$3.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.91
CN¥34.72
$7.75
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.39
$0.70
 

Improve prices ·

pay 1.5% less for groceries

 
Beijing
Salinas
Bread
1 loaf
$1.71
CN¥12.07
$1.68
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.47
CN¥52.84
$2.73
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
CN¥46.99
$4.21
 

Improve prices ·

pay 22.2% more for transportation

 
Beijing
Salinas
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.21
CN¥29.80
$2.46
 
Monthly public transit pass $31.54
CN¥223.19
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,225.66
CN¥128,952.02
$30,000.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 1.1% more for housing

 
Beijing
Salinas
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$12.93
CN¥91.49
$29.37
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $935.23
CN¥6,617.06
$466.67
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $504.41
CN¥3,568.82
$275.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 69.9% less for childcare

 
Beijing
Salinas
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $710.76
CN¥5,028.87
$255.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,242.73
CN¥164,449.26
$5,650.00
 

Improve prices ·

pay 3.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Beijing
Salinas
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
CN¥7.94
$2.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.90
CN¥20.53
$2.62
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.21
CN¥29.76
$5.75
 

Improve prices ·

pay 3.3% more for clothing

 
Beijing
Salinas
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.30
CN¥440.79
$56.67
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.37
CN¥257.35
$54.17
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.74
CN¥578.34
$90.00
 

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: December 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

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

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