Cost of living comparison
compared to
Beijing vs. Palm Springs Cost of Living Summary
Beijing is 19.7% cheaper than Palm Springs.
- Restaurants
-
pay 74.4% less in Beijing
- Groceries
-
pay 49.0% less in Beijing
- Transportation
-
pay 34.3% less in Beijing
- Housing
-
pay 69.3% less in Beijing
- Childcare
-
pay 2.0 times more in Beijing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.3% less in Beijing
- Clothing
-
pay 16.1% more in Beijing
The cost of childcare and clothing in Beijing are more expensive than in Palm Springs. Expenses including restaurants, housing, groceries, transportation, and entertainment and sports are lower in Beijing. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Beijing.
Beijing vs. Palm Springs Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Beijing instead of Palm Springs, you would:
pay 74.4% less for restaurants
|
Palm Springs
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$28.00
|
$4.21
CN¥29.76
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$4.91
CN¥34.72
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.67
|
$0.48
CN¥3.39
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.51
|
$0.31
CN¥2.17
|
|
Palm Springs vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants
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pay 49.0% less for groceries
|
Palm Springs
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.17
|
$1.71
CN¥12.07
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.00
|
$7.47
CN¥52.84
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$6.64
CN¥46.99
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.63
|
$1.78
CN¥12.57
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.21
|
$1.53
CN¥10.83
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$0.98
CN¥6.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$0.77
CN¥5.44
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$0.80
CN¥5.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.35
|
$0.60
CN¥4.26
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$0.35
CN¥2.47
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$0.41
CN¥2.92
|
|
Palm Springs vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries
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pay 34.3% less for transportation
|
Palm Springs
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.67
|
$4.21
CN¥29.80
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$34.00
|
$31.54
CN¥223.19
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,376.95
|
$18,225.66
CN¥128,952.02
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.36
|
$4.63
CN¥32.73
|
|
Palm Springs vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation
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pay 69.3% less for housing
|
Palm Springs
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.00
|
$12.93
CN¥91.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,921.17
|
$935.23
CN¥6,617.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,516.67
|
$504.41
CN¥3,568.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$189.35
|
$39.27
CN¥277.81
|
|
Palm Springs vs. Beijing - Cost of housing
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pay 2.0 times more for childcare
|
Palm Springs
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$545.83
|
$710.76
CN¥5,028.87
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,400.00
|
$23,242.73
CN¥164,449.26
|
|
Palm Springs vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare
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pay 30.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Palm Springs
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$1.12
CN¥7.94
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.80
|
$2.90
CN¥20.53
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$15.00
|
$4.21
CN¥29.76
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.50
|
$57.84
CN¥409.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$8.41
CN¥59.52
|
|
Palm Springs vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 16.1% more for clothing
|
Palm Springs
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$38.46
|
$62.30
CN¥440.79
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.17
|
$36.37
CN¥257.35
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.00
|
$81.74
CN¥578.34
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$139.17
|
$105.53
CN¥746.66
|
|
Palm Springs vs. Beijing - Cost of clothing
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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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