Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $749 a month against $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,190

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $749 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,190
Chenzhou $749

A couple spends around $1,889 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,189 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,889
Chenzhou $1,189

A family of three spends $2,588 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,629 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,588
Chenzhou $1,629

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 59% more than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Chenzhou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Chenzhou 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.28

$3.08 ¥20.56

47.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.58 ¥197

$22.56 ¥151

31.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 ¥34.83

$5.05 ¥33.67

3.37%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.91

$1.47 ¥9.78

153.74%

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

$0.53 ¥3.54

$0.51 ¥3.41

3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.25 ¥1.65

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$1.26 ¥8.41

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.32

$1.91 ¥12.77

-10.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ¥11.30

$2.04 ¥13.60

-17.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.31

$2.32 ¥15.48

-26.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$0.79 ¥5.25

64.56%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥13.27

$1.76 ¥11.72

13.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.82 ¥98.8

$12.87 ¥85.9

15.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.94

$3.95 ¥26.35

-16.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ¥72.9

$11.75 ¥78.4

-6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.96

$0.59 ¥3.92

254.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.42

$1.17 ¥7.79

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.68

$0.73 ¥4.89

180.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.40

$1.24 ¥8.24

25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$0.97 ¥6.50

-23.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.54 ¥10.28

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$0.65 ¥4.32

13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.53 ¥3.53

7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ¥28.38

$3.02 ¥20.14

40.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 ¥94.9

$12.83 ¥85.6

10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.09 ¥7.27

-10.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥12.57

$1.58 ¥10.53

18.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.31 ¥2.07

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.59 ¥197

$18.05 ¥120

63.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ¥12.91

$1.53 ¥10.22

26.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$0.31 ¥2.08

6.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.25

$4.53 ¥30.23

56.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.32 ¥8.79

3.79%

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

$19.8K ¥132.2K

$19.3K ¥128.9K

2.55%

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

$17.9K ¥119.4K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

1.50%

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

$59.7 ¥398

$55.7 ¥372

7.11%

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

$8.90 ¥59.4

$8.85 ¥59.0

0.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.41 ¥96.2

$11.03 ¥73.6

30.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 ¥313

$41.62 ¥278

12.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.86 ¥166

$14.88 ¥99.3

67.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ¥50.1

$6.55 ¥43.69

14.50%

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

$968 ¥6,457

$324 ¥2,163

198.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.5K ¥297.2K

$16.6K ¥110.6K

168.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ¥482

$82.7 ¥552

-12.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.00 ¥267

$35.51 ¥237

12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 ¥596

$87.7 ¥585

1.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ¥832

$61.0 ¥407

104.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 ¥6,287

$289 ¥1,929

225.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 ¥3,501

$190 ¥1,268

176.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 ¥15.0K

$616 ¥4,107

265.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ¥7,080

$363 ¥2,420

192.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K ¥81.1K

$3,251 ¥21.7K

273.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,534 ¥43.6K

$1,939 ¥12.9K

237.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,688 ¥11.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.46

-9.83%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): November 2, 2026

Last update for Chenzhou: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$525 44.1%

Chenzhou

$190 25.4% 63.8% $335

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.2%

Chenzhou

$216 28.8% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.3%

Chenzhou

$120 16% 18.2% $27

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.2%

Chenzhou

$71 9.4% 35.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$83 7%

Chenzhou

$76 10.1% 8.9% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Chenzhou

$55 7.3% 11.5% $7.1

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$35 3%

Chenzhou

$22 3% 36.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $289 in Chenzhou. 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 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $23 in Chenzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $216 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

4,667,134

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Beijing (Pekin) Chenzhou 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,784 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,124 in Chenzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $942 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $23 in Chenzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin) and $749 in Chenzhou. That makes Chenzhou about 37% cheaper.

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

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.