Cost of living comparison

compared to

Beijing vs. Niigata Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 61.9% more expensive than Niigata.

Restaurants
pay 35.0% less in Beijing
Groceries
pay 15.4% less in Beijing
Transportation
pay 26.4% less in Beijing
Housing
pay 28.5% more in Beijing
Childcare
pay 5.0 times more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.3% less in Beijing
Clothing
pay 87.7% more in Beijing

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

Beijing vs. Niigata Cost Breakdown

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

pay 35.0% less for restaurants

 
Niigata
Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.35
¥843
$4.21
CN¥29.61
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.01
¥791
$4.91
CN¥34.55
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.16
¥183
$0.48
CN¥3.38

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pay 15.4% less for groceries

 
Niigata
Beijing
Bread
1 loaf
$1.15
¥181
$1.71
CN¥12.02
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.68
¥580
$7.47
CN¥52.59
Milk (1 gallon) $4.70
¥742
$6.64
CN¥46.76

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pay 26.4% less for transportation

 
Niigata
Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.30
¥678
$4.21
CN¥29.65
Monthly public transit pass $53.46
¥8,433
$31.54
CN¥222.11
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $15,369.55
¥2,424,493
$18,225.66
CN¥128,328.71

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pay 28.5% more for housing

 
Niigata
Beijing
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$33.41
¥5,271
$12.93
CN¥91.05
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $367.53
¥57,977
$935.23
CN¥6,585.07
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $267.30
¥42,165
$504.41
CN¥3,551.57

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pay 5.0 times more for childcare

 
Niigata
Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $83.53
¥13,177
$710.76
CN¥5,004.56
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $15,131.74
¥2,386,979
$23,242.73
CN¥163,654.36

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pay 8.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Niigata
Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.67
¥422
$1.12
CN¥7.90
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.00
¥316
$2.90
CN¥20.43
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.94
¥622
$4.21
CN¥29.61

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pay 87.7% more for clothing

 
Niigata
Beijing
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$40.09
¥6,325
$62.30
CN¥438.66
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$20.05
¥3,162
$36.37
CN¥256.10
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$36.75
¥5,798
$81.74
CN¥575.54

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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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