Cost of living comparison
compared to
Beijing vs. Salmiya Cost of Living Summary
Beijing is 22.4% more expensive than Salmiya.
Beijing vs. Salmiya Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Beijing instead of Salmiya, you would:
pay 25.4% less for restaurants
Salmiya | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $8.99 KWD2.790 | $4.21 CN¥28.59 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $8.18 KWD2.530 | $4.91 CN¥33.36 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.49 KWD0.150 | $0.48 CN¥3.26 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.33 KWD0.100 | $0.31 CN¥2.09 | |
Salmiya vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.6% more for groceries
Salmiya | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $0.71 KWD0.220 | $1.71 CN¥11.60 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $2.68 KWD0.830 | $7.47 CN¥50.77 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.98 KWD1.850 | $6.64 CN¥45.15 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $1.95 KWD0.600 | $1.78 CN¥12.08 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.21 KWD0.990 | $1.53 CN¥10.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.06 KWD0.330 | $0.98 CN¥6.68 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.88 KWD0.270 | $0.77 CN¥5.23 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.77 KWD0.240 | $0.80 CN¥5.44 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.78 KWD0.240 | $0.60 CN¥4.09 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.60 KWD0.190 | $0.35 CN¥2.37 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.68 KWD0.210 | $0.41 CN¥2.80 | |
Salmiya vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries
pay 23.5% more for transportation
Salmiya | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $1.33 KWD0.410 | $4.21 CN¥28.63 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $49.05 KWD15.190 | $31.54 CN¥214.45 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $19,621.95 KWD6,077.640 | $18,225.66 CN¥124K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $22.89 KWD7.090 | $4.63 CN¥31.45 | |
Salmiya vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation
pay 25.9% less for housing
Salmiya | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $29.07 KWD9.000 | $12.93 CN¥87.91 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,068.31 KWD330.890 | $935.23 CN¥6,357.90 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $839.38 KWD259.990 | $504.41 CN¥3,429.05 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $37.65 KWD11.660 | $39.27 CN¥266.93 | |
Salmiya vs. Beijing - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
Salmiya | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $306.59 KWD94.960 | $710.76 CN¥4,831.92 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $7,442.33 KWD2,305.160 | $23,242.73 CN¥158K | |
Salmiya vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare
pay 24.2% less for entertainment and sports
Salmiya | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $1.64 KWD0.510 | $1.12 CN¥7.62 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.04 KWD1.560 | $2.90 CN¥19.73 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $2.94 KWD0.910 | $4.21 CN¥28.59 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $158.07 KWD48.960 | $57.84 CN¥393.18 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.45 KWD3.550 | $8.41 CN¥57.19 | |
Salmiya vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 23.1% more for clothing
Salmiya | Beijing | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $39.65 KWD12.280 | $62.30 CN¥423.52 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $38.70 KWD11.990 | $36.37 CN¥247.27 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $85.03 KWD26.340 | $81.74 CN¥555.69 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $72.67 KWD22.510 | $105.53 CN¥717.42 | |
Salmiya 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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