Cost of living comparison

compared to

Umhlanga vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Umhlanga is 36.7% more expensive than Beijing.

Restaurants
pay 2.6 times more in Umhlanga
Groceries
pay 6.7% less in Umhlanga
Transportation
pay 51.2% more in Umhlanga
Housing
pay 92.7% more in Umhlanga
Childcare
pay 65.8% less in Umhlanga
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.5% more in Umhlanga
Clothing
pay 7.8% more in Umhlanga

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

Umhlanga vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.6 times more for restaurants

 
Beijing
Umhlanga
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.21
CN¥29.74
$11.47
ZAR194.18
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.91
CN¥34.69
$4.88
ZAR82.52
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.39
$1.35
ZAR22.82

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pay 6.7% less for groceries

 
Beijing
Umhlanga
Bread
1 loaf
$1.71
CN¥12.07
$0.82
ZAR13.90
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.47
CN¥52.80
$5.22
ZAR88.35
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
CN¥46.96
$4.02
ZAR67.99

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pay 51.2% more for transportation

 
Beijing
Umhlanga
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.21
CN¥29.77
$5.65
ZAR95.55
Monthly public transit pass $31.54
CN¥223.02
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,225.66
CN¥128,857.25
$30,687.17
ZAR519,420.28

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pay 92.7% more for housing

 
Beijing
Umhlanga
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$12.93
CN¥91.43
$40.12
ZAR679.13
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $935.23
CN¥6,612.19
$573.59
ZAR9,708.79
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $504.41
CN¥3,566.20
$688.31
ZAR11,650.55

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pay 65.8% less for childcare

 
Beijing
Umhlanga
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $710.76
CN¥5,025.17
$258.12
ZAR4,368.96
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,242.73
CN¥164,328.40
$7,456.70
ZAR126,214.27

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pay 16.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Beijing
Umhlanga
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
CN¥7.93
$2.87
ZAR48.54
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.90
CN¥20.52
$2.58
ZAR43.69
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.21
CN¥29.74
$3.15
ZAR53.40

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pay 7.8% more for clothing

 
Beijing
Umhlanga
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.30
CN¥440.46
$61.66
ZAR1,043.69
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.37
CN¥257.16
$40.15
ZAR679.62
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.74
CN¥577.91
$114.72
ZAR1,941.76

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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: December 2025
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