Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Chuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Chuzhou
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Chuzhou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Chuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $685 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Chuzhou $685

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,120 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Chuzhou $1,120

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,555 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Chuzhou $1,555

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 75% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Chuzhou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Chuzhou 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.44

$2.28 ¥15.18

93.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$22.28 ¥149

33.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.82

$4.76 ¥31.70

12.82%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.85

$2.30 ¥15.34

62.17%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.53 ¥3.55

5.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.27 ¥1.80

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$0.44 ¥2.91

170.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.54 ¥10.24

12.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.44

$1.54 ¥10.29

11.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$2.07 ¥13.77

-14.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.63

$0.84 ¥5.58

53.57%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.76

$1.32 ¥8.82

44.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥98.0

$10.57 ¥70.5

39.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.50

$3.03 ¥20.18

6.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.8

$9.07 ¥60.5

23.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.17

$2.09 ¥13.90

1.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.91

$1.26 ¥8.37

42.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.64

$1.71 ¥11.41

19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$1.07 ¥7.16

42.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.90

$0.90 ¥5.97

-17.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$0.97 ¥6.48

-5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.89 ¥5.93

-22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.52 ¥3.47

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.62

$3.83 ¥25.55

15.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.4

$13.28 ¥88.5

5.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.85

$0.95 ¥6.32

8.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.03

$1.55 ¥10.36

16.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.90

$0.31 ¥2.08

90.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥217

$19.20 ¥128

69.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.35

$1.75 ¥11.68

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.41 ¥2.75

-19.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.2

$9.09 ¥60.6

-15.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.65

$1.32 ¥8.79

-1.52%

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

$19.7K ¥131.6K

$19.3K ¥128.7K

2.21%

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

$18.0K ¥120.0K

$17.4K ¥115.7K

3.75%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$55.5 ¥370

6.00%

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

$8.71 ¥58.1

$7.88 ¥52.5

10.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.7

$7.28 ¥48.51

99.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$43.09 ¥287

8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$16.05 ¥107

52.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.7

$6.07 ¥40.47

25.21%

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

$985 ¥6,567

$441 ¥2,937

123.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.4K

$22.8K ¥152.1K

7.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$43.42 ¥289

65.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$34.55 ¥230

16.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥578

$64.8 ¥432

33.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥840

$87.6 ¥584

43.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,219

$253 ¥1,686

268.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,529

$165 ¥1,097

221.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$606 ¥4,039

276.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,304

$376 ¥2,507

191.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.7K

$3,018 ¥20.1K

291.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.8K

$1,996 ¥13.3K

229.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.42

-8.77%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 26, 2026

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Chuzhou

$165 24% 68.9% $365

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Chuzhou

$198 28.9% 13.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Chuzhou

$104 15.1% 29.1% $43

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Chuzhou

$69 10% 37.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Chuzhou

$71 10.3% 13.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Chuzhou

$55 8.1% 10.8% $6.7

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Chuzhou

$24 3.5% 37% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $253 in Chuzhou. 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 $22 in Chuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $198 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Chuzhou

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

3,987,054

💱 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) Chuzhou 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 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 Chuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,796 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,027 in Chuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $22 in Chuzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin) and $685 in Chuzhou. That’s a gap of about 75%.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 75% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.