Cost of living comparison

compared to
Beijing vs. China Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 32.4% more expensive than China overall.

Restaurants
pay 15.1% more in Beijing
Groceries
pay 13.8% more in Beijing
Transportation
pay 17.9% more in Beijing
Housing
pay 85.0% more in Beijing
Childcare
pay 45.6% more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.2% more in Beijing
Clothing
pay 24.2% more in Beijing

The cost of housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and restaurants in Beijing are more expensive than in China. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Beijing.

Beijing vs. China Cost Breakdown

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

pay 15.1% more for restaurants

 
China
Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.85
CN¥20.93
$4.17
CN¥30.61
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.07
CN¥37.14
$5.57
CN¥40.81
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.49
CN¥3.59
$0.50
CN¥3.64

Improve prices ·

pay 13.8% more for groceries

 
China
Beijing
Bread
1 loaf
$1.59
CN¥11.67
$1.43
CN¥10.52
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.85
CN¥42.90
$7.31
CN¥53.58
Milk (1 gallon) $6.86
CN¥50.30
$7.17
CN¥52.58

Improve prices ·

pay 17.9% more for transportation

 
China
Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.44
CN¥32.59
$4.36
CN¥31.97
Monthly public transit pass $22.47
CN¥164.77
$33.40
CN¥244.88
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,071.53
CN¥139,845.83
$20,872.18
CN¥153,049.43

Improve prices ·

pay 85.0% more for housing

 
China
Beijing
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.70
CN¥85.76
$13.28
CN¥97.40
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $328.33
CN¥2,407.55
$929.88
CN¥6,818.52
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $205.78
CN¥1,508.92
$492.44
CN¥3,610.93

Improve prices ·

pay 45.6% more for childcare

 
China
Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $459.70
CN¥3,370.83
$763.49
CN¥5,598.47
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $18,318.08
CN¥134,320.98
$22,913.01
CN¥168,014.26

Improve prices ·

pay 25.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
China
Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.09
CN¥8.00
$1.11
CN¥8.16
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.07
CN¥22.49
$3.60
CN¥26.42
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.23
CN¥23.71
$3.48
CN¥25.51

Improve prices ·

pay 24.2% more for clothing

 
China
Beijing
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$48.23
CN¥353.62
$62.65
CN¥459.43
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$31.67
CN¥232.23
$34.69
CN¥254.35
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$72.53
CN¥531.81
$83.45
CN¥611.94

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: January 2025
Share this

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