Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baotou and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $774 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baotou and in Beijing (Pekin)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Baotou and in Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $774 per month in Baotou vs $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Baotou $774
Beijing (Pekin) $1,184

A couple spends around $1,239 per month in Baotou vs $1,916 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Baotou $1,239
Beijing (Pekin) $1,916

A family of three spends $1,705 per month in Baotou vs $2,647 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Baotou $1,705
Beijing (Pekin) $2,647

Baotou is about 35% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Baotou and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Baotou 43% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 ¥35.76

$4.47 ¥29.84

19.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.07 ¥147

$29.66 ¥198

-25.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.79 ¥65.4

$5.21 ¥34.79

87.91%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ¥18.57

$3.72 ¥24.84

-25.27%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.50 ¥3.34

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.21

$0.26 ¥1.73

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ¥7.55

$1.17 ¥7.84

-3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.65

$1.66 ¥11.07

22.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$1.65 ¥11.04

7.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.91

$1.76 ¥11.74

-7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$1.27 ¥8.51

-49.61%

Eggs

$2.38 ¥15.88

$1.88 ¥12.54

26.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 ¥90.7

$14.65 ¥97.9

-7.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.76

$3.15 ¥21.02

8.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ¥75.3

$11.03 ¥73.7

2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$2.02 ¥13.52

-8.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.45

$1.72 ¥11.46

-26.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.39

$2.08 ¥13.93

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.33

$1.55 ¥10.35

-19.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.61

$0.72 ¥4.82

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$0.85 ¥5.68

7.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.69 ¥4.60

-14.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.69

$0.61 ¥4.09

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.66 ¥24.43

$4.32 ¥28.86

-15.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 ¥78.6

$14.10 ¥94.2

-16.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.88

$1.01 ¥6.75

-12.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$1.82 ¥12.17

-12.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.70 ¥4.67

-55.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.91 ¥120

$34.48 ¥230

-48.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ¥7.08

$1.92 ¥12.83

-44.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.33 ¥2.18

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 ¥48.04

$7.67 ¥51.3

-6.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$1.34 ¥8.92

-11.94%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

1.58%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.2K ¥115.0K

$18.3K ¥122.3K

-5.94%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$56.7 ¥379

$57.3 ¥383

-1.08%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.56 ¥57.2

$9.13 ¥61.0

-6.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.38 ¥62.7

$14.22 ¥95.0

-34.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.81 ¥279

$42.34 ¥283

-1.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.99 ¥100

$24.61 ¥164

-39.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.32 ¥35.56

$7.40 ¥49.45

-28.11%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$421 ¥2,817

$660 ¥4,408

-36.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$24.2K ¥161.8K

-28.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 ¥290

$69.8 ¥467

-37.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.16 ¥242

$39.69 ¥265

-8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 ¥500

$88.9 ¥594

-15.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 ¥599

$127 ¥848

-29.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,990

$940 ¥6,283

-68.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,237

$524 ¥3,499

-64.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$628 ¥4,197

$2,319 ¥15.5K

-72.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,539

$1,128 ¥7,538

-66.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,469 ¥23.2K

$12.4K ¥82.7K

-71.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 ¥13.1K

$6,284 ¥42.0K

-68.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$659 ¥4,404

$1,713 ¥11.4K

-61.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.12

7.69%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Baotou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Baotou

$211 27.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2% 7.5% $16

Accommodation & Living

Baotou

$185 23.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2% 183% $339

Eating Out

Baotou

$119 15.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 8.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Baotou

$110 14.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4% 33.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baotou

$75 9.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8% 8.1% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Baotou

$52 6.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8% 8.9% $4.7

Getting Around

Baotou

$22 2.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 85.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Baotou versus $940 in Beijing (Pekin). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 160% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Baotou versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $227 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baotou

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

Same time as Baotou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,709,378

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Baotou Beijing (Pekin) 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Baotou
Beijing (Pekin)

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Baotou vs Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $774 in Baotou, $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin) – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,160 per month in Baotou and $1,775 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baotou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Beijing (Pekin), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Baotou and $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Baotou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.