Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $535 in Bangalore.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,178
Bangalore $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,895 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $927 in Bangalore.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,895
Bangalore $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,612 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $1,318 in Bangalore.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,612
Bangalore $1,318

Living in Beijing (Pekin) is roughly 120% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Bangalore 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.39

$3.04 ₹294

49.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.25 ¥196

$17.83 ₹1,725

64.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.59

$4.78 ₹463

11.30%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.57

$2.24 ₹217

57.14%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.39 ₹37.49

35.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.14 ₹13.64

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$2.34 ₹226

-47.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.15

$3.91 ₹379

-57.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ¥11.16

$0.61 ₹58.6

173.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$0.57 ₹55.2

210.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.81 ₹77.9

59.26%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥13.68

$1.12 ₹109

82.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.52 ¥97.2

$5.93 ₹574

144.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥21.46

$3.85 ₹373

-16.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥75.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.96

$2.78 ₹269

-24.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$0.75 ₹72.2

129.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$1.22 ₹118

64.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$0.40 ₹39.19

287.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.52

$0.38 ₹36.40

76.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.70

$0.36 ₹34.72

136.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$0.42 ₹40.31

76.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.32 ₹31.21

93.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ¥29.57

$4.61 ₹446

-4.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 ¥92.7

$9.01 ₹872

53.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$1.86 ₹180

-44.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.11

$2.92 ₹283

-38.01%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$0.51 ₹48.89

25.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.88 ¥234

$15.71 ₹1,520

122.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$1.01 ₹97.8

96.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.30 ₹29.43

16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 ¥51.2

$2.10 ₹203

264.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.08 ₹104

17.59%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

55.86%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$19.1K ₹1.8M

-4.86%

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

$59.0 ¥395

$30.32 ₹2,934

94.59%

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

$8.94 ¥59.9

$4.11 ₹398

117.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.15 ¥94.7

$10.23 ₹990

38.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥273

$18.61 ₹1,801

119.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.56 ¥164

$5.95 ₹576

312.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.37

$4.60 ₹446

60.43%

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

$650 ¥4,353

$104 ₹10.1K

524.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.8K

$3,176 ₹307.3K

670.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ¥471

$32.29 ₹3,125

118.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 ¥271

$29.85 ₹2,889

35.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ¥586

$53.3 ₹5,160

64.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 ¥830

$39.66 ₹3,838

212.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,246

$309 ₹29.9K

202.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 ¥3,469

$175 ₹16.9K

196.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 ¥16.0K

$788 ₹76.3K

202.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 ¥7,654

$481 ₹46.6K

137.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ¥84.1K

$1,889 ₹182.8K

565.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,393 ¥42.8K

$1,067 ₹103.3K

499.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,710 ¥11.4K

$919 ₹89.0K

86.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.21

8.5

-62.24%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 5, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44%

Bangalore

$175 32% 66.2% $343

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4%

Bangalore

$122 22.4% 46.3% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3%

Bangalore

$70 12.8% 51.9% $75

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1%

Bangalore

$87 15.9% 18.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 45.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Bangalore

$28 5.1% 49.9% $28

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 50.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Beijing (Pekin) pays 86% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $122 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

2 h 30 min behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Bangalore 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
Bangalore

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

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

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 120% lower than in Beijing (Pekin). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 122% less than in Beijing (Pekin). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $650 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $104 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $535 in Bangalore versus $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bangalore but tight or insufficient in Beijing (Pekin). The gap between the two cities makes Bangalore the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $535 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Beijing (Pekin). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.