Cost of living comparison
compared to
Beijing vs. Saitama Cost of Living Summary
Beijing is 8.9% more expensive than Saitama.
Beijing vs. Saitama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Beijing instead of Saitama, you would:
pay 27.7% less for restaurants
Saitama | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $5.68 ¥919 | $4.21 CN¥28.59 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $4.68 ¥757 | $4.91 CN¥33.36 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.74 ¥119 | $0.48 CN¥3.26 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.68 ¥110 | $0.31 CN¥2.09 | |
Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants
pay 30.3% less for groceries
Saitama | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.75 ¥284 | $1.71 CN¥11.60 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.86 ¥786 | $7.47 CN¥50.77 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.51 ¥892 | $6.64 CN¥45.15 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.21 ¥357 | $1.78 CN¥12.08 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.64 ¥427 | $1.53 CN¥10.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.63 ¥425 | $0.98 CN¥6.68 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.06 ¥171 | $0.77 CN¥5.23 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.76 ¥284 | $0.80 CN¥5.44 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.64 ¥427 | $0.60 CN¥4.09 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.44 ¥234 | $0.35 CN¥2.37 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.76 ¥123 | $0.41 CN¥2.80 | |
Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries
pay 35.0% less for transportation
Saitama | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.43 ¥717 | $4.21 CN¥28.63 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? | $31.54 CN¥214.45 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $22,332.63 ¥4M | $18,225.66 CN¥124K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $24.99 ¥4,043 | $4.63 CN¥31.45 | |
Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation
pay 26.6% more for housing
Saitama | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $32.74 ¥5,296 | $12.93 CN¥87.91 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $417.65 ¥67,557 | $935.23 CN¥6,357.90 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $245.02 ¥39,634 | $504.41 CN¥3,429.05 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $105.54 ¥17,071 | $39.27 CN¥266.93 | |
Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of housing
pay 94.0% more for childcare
Saitama | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $271.75 ¥43,957 | $710.76 CN¥4,831.92 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $18,376.64 ¥3M | $23,242.73 CN¥158K | |
Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare
pay 16.7% less for entertainment and sports
Saitama | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.00 ¥324 | $1.12 CN¥7.62 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.01 ¥486 | $2.90 CN¥19.73 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.01 ¥649 | $4.21 CN¥28.59 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $66.16 ¥10,701 | $57.84 CN¥393.18 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.69 ¥1,892 | $8.41 CN¥57.19 | |
Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 51.2% more for clothing
Saitama | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $36.75 ¥5,945 | $62.30 CN¥423.52 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $26.73 ¥4,324 | $36.37 CN¥247.27 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $57.87 ¥9,361 | $81.74 CN¥555.69 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $66.82 ¥10,809 | $105.53 CN¥717.42 | |
Saitama vs. Beijing - Cost of clothing
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: June 2026
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