Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $815 in Dongguan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Dongguan $815

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,295 in Dongguan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Dongguan $1,295

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,775 in Dongguan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Dongguan $1,775

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 46% more than Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Dongguan are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Dongguan 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$2.64 ¥17.64

71.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$22.83 ¥153

32.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.20 ¥34.75

3.08%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$2.61 ¥17.44

36.78%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.48 ¥3.18

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.31 ¥2.09

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$0.88 ¥5.90

35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.23 ¥14.88

-23.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.59 ¥10.61

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.63 ¥10.93

8.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.97 ¥6.50

32.99%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.59 ¥10.66

22.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$21.14 ¥141

-32.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$3.28 ¥21.96

0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$14.27 ¥95.4

-22.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$2.25 ¥15.03

-5.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.56 ¥10.45

10.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.85 ¥12.39

12.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.49 ¥9.98

3.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$1.04 ¥6.95

-33.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$1.24 ¥8.30

-26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.56 ¥3.75

33.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.58 ¥3.90

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$4.45 ¥29.79

-4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$12.18 ¥81.5

14.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.92 ¥6.17

10.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.76 ¥11.74

2.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.35 ¥2.37

97.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$22.38 ¥150

55.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.18 ¥7.86

61.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.41 ¥2.75

-14.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$4.44 ¥29.68

63.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.31 ¥8.77

1.53%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

1.74%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

2.26%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$63.1 ¥422

-6.33%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$9.11 ¥60.9

-3.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$12.96 ¥86.7

9.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$51.6 ¥345

-20.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$16.09 ¥108

54.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$7.53 ¥50.3

-1.20%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$531 ¥3,550

23.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$24.3K ¥162.8K

-1.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$46.78 ¥313

52.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$40.30 ¥269

-0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$72.5 ¥485

21.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$39.04 ¥261

224.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$380 ¥2,538

148.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$219 ¥1,461

139.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$662 ¥4,423

257.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$431 ¥2,884

160.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$5,650 ¥37.8K

117.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$3,075 ¥20.6K

109.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$856 ¥5,725

100.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.35

-6.87%

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

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Dongguan

$219 26.8% 58.2% $305

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Dongguan

$248 30.4% 8.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Dongguan

$89 11% 39.1% $57

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Dongguan

$80 9.8% 25.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Dongguan

$85 10.5% 3.7% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Dongguan

$67 8.2% 19.2% $11

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 34.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $380 in Dongguan. 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 100% 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 Dongguan. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $248 in Dongguan – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

00:57 12:57 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

8,254,100

💱 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) Dongguan 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,222 in Dongguan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dongguan, 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 $23.00 in Dongguan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin) and $815 in Dongguan. That's a gap of about 46%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dongguan, where all-in costs run around $815, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Dongguan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dongguan – 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 Dongguan. 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.