Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Baotou

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Baotou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $768 in Baotou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Baotou $768

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,248 in Baotou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Baotou $1,248

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,728 in Baotou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Baotou $1,728

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 54% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Baotou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Baotou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$5.26 ¥35.18

-13.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$22.87 ¥153

31.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$9.50 ¥63.5

-43.58%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$2.78 ¥18.56

28.42%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.47 ¥3.17

8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.31 ¥2.07

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.13 ¥7.59

5.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.91 ¥12.77

-10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.87 ¥12.49

-6.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.59 ¥10.65

11.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.65 ¥4.35

98.46%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$2.48 ¥16.55

-21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$13.77 ¥92.1

3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$3.87 ¥25.86

-14.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$12.26 ¥82.0

-9.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$1.90 ¥12.70

11.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.33 ¥8.87

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.50 ¥10.01

39.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.27 ¥8.52

21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.75 ¥5.01

-8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$1.01 ¥6.76

-9.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.58 ¥3.88

29.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.59 ¥3.93

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$4.28 ¥28.59

-0.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$10.83 ¥72.4

28.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.86 ¥5.77

18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.55 ¥10.34

16.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.31 ¥2.08

122.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$16.41 ¥110

112.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.02 ¥6.85

86.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.35 ¥2.35

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$7.09 ¥47.38

2.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.16 ¥7.77

14.66%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$21.1K ¥141.2K

-7.04%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$20.1K ¥134.6K

-10.41%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$58.0 ¥388

1.76%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$8.15 ¥54.5

7.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$9.65 ¥64.5

47.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$47.39 ¥317

-13.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$15.49 ¥104

60.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$5.08 ¥34.00

46.46%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$371 ¥2,483

76.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

21.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$42.80 ¥286

66.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$36.08 ¥241

10.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$73.6 ¥492

19.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$88.4 ¥591

43.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$263 ¥1,758

259.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$173 ¥1,154

203.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$605 ¥4,042

290.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$380 ¥2,543

194.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$3,121 ¥20.9K

292.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$2,040 ¥13.6K

216.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$666 ¥4,454

157.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.36

-7.14%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 17, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Baotou

$173 22.5% 67% $351

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Baotou

$217 28.3% 5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Baotou

$108 14.1% 26.1% $38

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 8.3% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 7.6% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Baotou

$58 7.5% 2.9% $1.6

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Baotou

$20 2.7% 50.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $263 in Baotou. 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 158% 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 $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $23.00 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $217 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

2,709,378

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), $768 in Baotou – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,153 in Baotou. 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 5% 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 $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $23.00 in Baotou. 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 $768, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. 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.