Cost of living comparison

Saint Lucia

compared to

China

Beijing vs. Castries Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 13.4% cheaper than Castries.

Restaurants: pay 52.7% less in Beijing
Groceries: pay 57.0% less in Beijing
Transportation: pay 19.8% less in Beijing
Housing: pay 33.1% more in Beijing
Childcare: pay 3.1 times more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports: pay 16.3% less in Beijing
Clothing: pay 12.1% less in Beijing

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

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Beijing vs. Castries Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 52.7% less for restaurants

	Castries	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$9.25 EC$25.00	$4.47 CN¥29.94	-51.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.33 EC$22.50	$5.22 CN¥34.93	-37.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.94 EC$5.25	$0.52 CN¥3.49	-73.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.97 EC$2.62	$0.27 CN¥1.82	-72.0%
Average			-52.7%

Castries vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

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pay 57.0% less for groceries

	Castries	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$1.86 EC$5.02	$1.73 CN¥11.56	-7.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.61 EC$15.17	$7.22 CN¥48.28	+28.6%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.75 EC$20.95	$6.41 CN¥42.88	-17.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.61 EC$12.47	$2.02 CN¥13.53	-56.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$4.10 EC$11.09	$1.47 CN¥9.81	-64.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$3.89 EC$10.50	$0.93 CN¥6.25	-76.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.75 EC$2.02	$0.79 CN¥5.28	+5.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$3.70 EC$10.00	$0.93 CN¥6.21	-74.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$6.66 EC$18.00	$0.71 CN¥4.75	-89.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.54 EC$4.17	$0.32 CN¥2.15	-79.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.93 EC$2.50	$0.40 CN¥2.66	-57.1%
Average			-57.0%

Castries vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

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pay 19.8% less for transportation

	Castries	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.83 EC$15.75	$4.96 CN¥33.20	-14.9%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$34.30 CN¥229.53
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,901.46 EC$70,000.00	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-25.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	??	$4.68 CN¥31.34
Average			-19.8%

Castries vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

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pay 33.1% more for housing

	Castries	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.60 EC$131.33	$14.27 CN¥95.47	-70.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$456.36 EC$1,233.33	$936.67 CN¥6,267.07	+105.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$345.35 EC$933.33	$530.98 CN¥3,552.67	+53.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$94.32 EC$254.90	$44.49 CN¥297.65	-52.8%
Average			+33.1%

Castries vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

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pay 3.1 times more for childcare

	Castries	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$212.76 EC$575.00	$653.29 CN¥4,371.01	+207.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	??	$24,281.96 CN¥162K
Average			+207.1%

Castries vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

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pay 16.3% less for entertainment and sports

	Castries	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.78 EC$7.50	$1.19 CN¥7.98	-57.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.70 EC$10.00	$3.60 CN¥24.09	-2.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$9.25 EC$25.00	$4.33 CN¥28.94	-53.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.63 EC$112.50	$41.45 CN¥277.32	-0.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.55 EC$15.00	$7.46 CN¥49.90	+34.4%
Average			-16.3%

Castries vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 12.1% less for clothing

	Castries	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$83.25 EC$225.00	$70.55 CN¥472.03	-15.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$50.88 EC$137.50	$40.41 CN¥270.36	-20.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$111.01 EC$300.00	$86.99 CN¥582.00	-21.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$111.01 EC$300.00	$125.40 CN¥839.02	+13.0%
Average			-12.1%

Castries vs. Beijing - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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