Cost of living comparison

Japan

compared to

China

Beijing vs. Saitama Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 7.7% more expensive than Saitama.

Restaurants: pay 17.1% less in Beijing
Groceries: pay 33.5% less in Beijing
Transportation: pay 16.0% less in Beijing
Housing: pay 62.9% more in Beijing
Childcare: pay 30.5% more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports: pay 26.2% less in Beijing
Clothing: pay 78.2% more in Beijing

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

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Beijing vs. Saitama Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 17.1% less for restaurants

	Saitama	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.69 ¥900	$4.47 CN¥29.94	-21.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.74 ¥750	$5.22 CN¥34.93	+10.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.71 ¥112	$0.52 CN¥3.49	-26.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.62 ¥97	$0.27 CN¥1.82	-55.8%
Average			-17.1%

Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

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pay 33.5% less for groceries

	Saitama	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$1.70 ¥268	$1.73 CN¥11.56	+1.7%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.18 ¥819	$7.22 CN¥48.28	+39.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.37 ¥849	$6.41 CN¥42.88	+19.3%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.04 ¥322	$2.02 CN¥13.53	-0.7%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.50 ¥395	$1.47 CN¥9.81	-41.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.58 ¥408	$0.93 CN¥6.25	-63.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.00 ¥158	$0.79 CN¥5.28	-21.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.31 ¥206	$0.93 CN¥6.21	-29.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.90 ¥300	$0.71 CN¥4.75	-62.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.17 ¥185	$0.32 CN¥2.15	-72.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.72 ¥113	$0.40 CN¥2.66	-44.7%
Average			-33.5%

Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

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pay 16.0% less for transportation

	Saitama	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.11 ¥649	$4.96 CN¥33.20	+20.7%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$34.30 CN¥229.53
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,434.36 ¥3M	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-9.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$24.67 ¥3,899	$4.68 CN¥31.34	-81.0%
Average			-16.0%

Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

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pay 62.9% more for housing

	Saitama	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$32.16 ¥5,082	$14.27 CN¥95.47	-55.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$411.23 ¥64,980	$936.67 CN¥6,267.07	+127.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$237.25 ¥37,488	$530.98 CN¥3,552.67	+123.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$101.00 ¥15,960	$44.49 CN¥297.65	-56.0%
Average			+62.9%

Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

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pay 30.5% more for childcare

	Saitama	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$632.30 ¥99,913	$653.29 CN¥4,371.01	+3.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$14,725.05 ¥2M	$24,281.96 CN¥162K	+64.9%
Average			+30.5%

Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

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pay 26.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Saitama	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.53 ¥400	$1.19 CN¥7.98	-52.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.01 ¥475	$3.60 CN¥24.09	+19.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.80 ¥600	$4.33 CN¥28.94	+13.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$62.63 ¥9,897	$41.45 CN¥277.32	-33.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.07 ¥1,749	$7.46 CN¥49.90	-32.6%
Average			-26.2%

Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 78.2% more for clothing

	Saitama	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$34.80 ¥5,498	$70.55 CN¥472.03	+102.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$25.31 ¥3,999	$40.41 CN¥270.36	+59.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$55.36 ¥8,747	$86.99 CN¥582.00	+57.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$63.27 ¥9,997	$125.40 CN¥839.02	+98.2%
Average			+78.2%

Saitama 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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