Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Changshu

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $712 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
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Changshu Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $712 in Changshu, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Changshu $712

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,128 in Changshu, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Changshu $1,128

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,544 in Changshu, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Changshu $1,544

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 66% more than Changshu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Changshu are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Changshu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$2.83 ¥18.91

57.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$21.95 ¥147

35.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$4.91 ¥32.85

6.11%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$2.93 ¥19.60

26.96%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.46 ¥3.08

8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.27 ¥1.79

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$0.87 ¥5.82

34.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.04 ¥13.66

-18.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.88 ¥12.59

-12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.55 ¥10.38

13.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.89 ¥5.97

42.70%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.58 ¥10.58

18.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$12.80 ¥85.6

14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$3.16 ¥21.10

-0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$10.02 ¥67.0

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$1.87 ¥12.49

8.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.25 ¥8.35

37.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.55 ¥10.37

34.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.15 ¥7.70

34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.70 ¥4.66

2.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$0.95 ¥6.33

-10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.56 ¥3.72

23.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.51 ¥3.39

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$3.22 ¥21.52

34.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$10.47 ¥70.0

34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.78 ¥5.22

29.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.57 ¥10.53

15.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.27 ¥1.79

159.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$16.48 ¥110

109.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.42 ¥9.51

35.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.33 ¥2.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$6.63 ¥44.35

15.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.12 ¥7.52

19.64%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

-1.41%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$17.2K ¥115.1K

6.27%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$46.01 ¥308

24.58%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$9.96 ¥66.6

-8.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.63 ¥77.8

22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$41.09 ¥275

3.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$14.00 ¥93.6

75.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$5.81 ¥38.83

27.37%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$329 ¥2,198

100.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

43.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$43.18 ¥289

61.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$30.03 ¥201

32.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$72.2 ¥483

23.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$71.7 ¥479

77.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$280 ¥1,870

236.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$192 ¥1,283

172.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$597 ¥3,995

288.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$357 ¥2,385

216.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$2,988 ¥20.0K

314.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$2,068 ¥13.8K

203.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.89

-19.79%

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

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

Last update for Changshu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Changshu

$192 27% 63.3% $332

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Changshu

$198 27.8% 12.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Changshu

$98 13.7% 33.3% $49

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Changshu

$84 11.8% 22.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Changshu

$68 9.5% 16.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Changshu

$53 7.4% 7.8% $4.4

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Changshu

$21 2.9% 49.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $280 in Changshu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $22.00 in Changshu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $198 – making Changshu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Changshu

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,677,050

💱 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) Changshu 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,068 in Changshu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changshu, 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 Changshu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin) and $712 in Changshu. That's a gap of about 66%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Changshu, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Changshu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Changshu. 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.