Cost of living comparison

New Zealand

compared to

China

Beijing vs. Nelson Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 18.7% cheaper than Nelson.

Restaurants: pay 64.8% less in Beijing
Groceries: pay 31.6% less in Beijing
Transportation: pay 24.9% less in Beijing
Housing: pay 41.1% less in Beijing
Childcare: pay 67.0% more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports: pay 49.4% less in Beijing
Clothing: pay 13.6% more in Beijing

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

Planning a move to China? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Beijing vs. Nelson Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 64.8% less for restaurants

	Nelson	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$13.73 NZ$24.46	$4.47 CN¥29.95	-67.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.40 NZ$14.97	$5.22 CN¥34.94	-37.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.75 NZ$3.12	$0.52 CN¥3.49	-70.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.68 NZ$2.99	$0.27 CN¥1.82	-83.8%
Average			-64.8%

Nelson vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 31.6% less for groceries

	Nelson	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$2.11 NZ$3.76	$1.73 CN¥11.56	-18.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.62 NZ$8.24	$7.22 CN¥48.29	+56.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.12 NZ$12.69	$6.41 CN¥42.89	-10.0%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.68 NZ$10.12	$2.02 CN¥13.53	-64.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.39 NZ$6.04	$1.47 CN¥9.81	-56.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.40 NZ$2.49	$0.93 CN¥6.25	-33.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.99 NZ$1.76	$0.79 CN¥5.28	-20.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.37 NZ$2.44	$0.93 CN¥6.21	-32.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.59 NZ$4.62	$0.71 CN¥4.76	-72.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.95 NZ$1.70	$0.32 CN¥2.15	-66.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.57 NZ$1.01	$0.40 CN¥2.66	-30.3%
Average			-31.6%

Nelson vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 24.9% less for transportation

	Nelson	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.97 NZ$10.64	$4.96 CN¥33.20	-16.9%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$34.30 CN¥229.59
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$17,086.24 NZ$30,448.62	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	+13.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.19 NZ$28.85	$4.68 CN¥31.34	-71.1%
Average			-24.9%

Nelson vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 41.1% less for housing

	Nelson	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$42.72 NZ$76.12	$14.27 CN¥95.50	-66.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,022.37 NZ$1,821.93	$936.67 CN¥6,268.85	-8.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$812.30 NZ$1,447.56	$530.98 CN¥3,553.68	-34.6%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$98.59 NZ$175.69	$44.49 CN¥297.74	-54.9%
Average			-41.1%

Nelson vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 67.0% more for childcare

	Nelson	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$448.16 NZ$798.65	$653.29 CN¥4,372.25	+45.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$12,899.11 NZ$22,986.93	$24,281.96 CN¥163K	+88.2%
Average			+67.0%

Nelson vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 49.4% less for entertainment and sports

	Nelson	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$7.28 NZ$12.98	$1.19 CN¥7.99	-83.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.22 NZ$5.74	$3.60 CN¥24.09	+11.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$25.18 NZ$44.87	$4.33 CN¥28.95	-82.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$100.84 NZ$179.70	$41.45 CN¥277.40	-58.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.20 NZ$19.97	$7.46 CN¥49.91	-33.4%
Average			-49.4%

Nelson vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 13.6% more for clothing

	Nelson	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$52.29 NZ$93.18	$70.55 CN¥472.16	+34.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$28.15 NZ$50.16	$40.41 CN¥270.44	+43.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$101.77 NZ$181.36	$86.99 CN¥582.17	-14.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$138.65 NZ$247.08	$125.40 CN¥839.26	-9.6%
Average			+13.6%

Nelson vs. Beijing - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

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: October 2026

Compare further: Nelson vs. Beijing

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Beijing?

More cost comparisons

Nelson vs.

Bangkok

Nelson vs.

Canberra

Nelson vs.

Vienna

Nelson vs.

Ottawa

Nelson vs.

Athens

Nelson vs.

Kiev

Nelson vs.

London

Nelson vs.

Reykjavik

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

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

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

Add prices for Nelson

Add prices for Beijing

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Beijing or Nelson. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.