Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Changchun

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $904 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $904 in Changchun, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Changchun $904

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,324 in Changchun, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Changchun $1,324

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,743 in Changchun, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Changchun $1,743

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 31% more than Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Changchun are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Changchun 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.24

$3.02 ¥20.17

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$22.15 ¥148

36.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.74

$5.19 ¥34.59

3.28%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.78

$2.40 ¥15.98

48.75%

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

$0.51 ¥3.38

$0.47 ¥3.14

8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.31 ¥2.09

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.92

$1.21 ¥8.10

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.40

$1.91 ¥12.71

-10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.64

$1.90 ¥12.67

-8.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.22 ¥8.14

45.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$1.44 ¥9.63

-10.42%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥12.98

$1.81 ¥12.09

7.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.3

$34.55 ¥230

-58.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.07

$5.71 ¥38.06

-42.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.1

$10.36 ¥69.1

7.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.15

$1.72 ¥11.48

23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.45 ¥9.69

19.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.94

$1.80 ¥12.02

16.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.89 ¥12.63

-18.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$0.89 ¥5.94

-22.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.03

$0.58 ¥3.88

29.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$1.47 ¥9.77

-58.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.46

$3.78 ¥25.21

12.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥92.7

$21.06 ¥140

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.78

$0.92 ¥6.11

10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.07

$1.10 ¥7.35

64.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.44 ¥2.91

56.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥232

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.24 ¥8.24

53.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.31 ¥2.08

12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.56

$3.02 ¥20.13

141.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.85

$1.28 ¥8.56

3.91%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

1.51%

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

$18.0K ¥120.3K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

1.44%

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

$59.1 ¥394

$76.7 ¥511

-22.97%

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

$8.77 ¥58.5

$4.43 ¥29.56

97.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥94.8

$14.76 ¥98.4

-3.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥274

$37.44 ¥250

9.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$4.13 ¥27.52

502.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.62

$6.64 ¥44.31

12.05%

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

$654 ¥4,365

$553 ¥3,692

18.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.2K

$21.9K ¥145.8K

9.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥475

$73.7 ¥492

-3.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥267

$44.44 ¥296

-9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥588

$60.2 ¥401

46.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥844

$69.7 ¥465

81.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,302

$216 ¥1,443

336.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,491

$246 ¥1,644

112.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$576 ¥3,839

310.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,482

$308 ¥2,052

264.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥81.8K

$1,668 ¥11.1K

634.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.0K

$1,006 ¥6,711

540.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.4K

$961 ¥6,408

78.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

4.37

-28.60%

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

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

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Changchun

$246 27.3% 52.9% $277

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Changchun

$313 * 34.6% 36.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Changchun

$112 12.4% 23.9% $35

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Changchun

$82 9% 24.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Changchun

$96 10.6% 16.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Changchun

$51 5.6% 9.3% $5.2

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5% 89% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $216 in Changchun. 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 79% 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 $22.00 in Changchun. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $313 in Changchun – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

9,066,906

💱 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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Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Changchun 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
Changchun

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 Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,356 in Changchun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 37% cheaper in Beijing (Pekin) – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Changchun, where all-in costs run around $904, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Changchun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changchun – 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 Changchun. 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.