Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $920 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $920 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Guangzhou (Canton) $920

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,433 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,945 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,945

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 29% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$3.01 ¥20.12

50.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$29.68 ¥198

1.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.33 ¥35.66

0.56%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$3.05 ¥20.39

17.05%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.58 ¥3.87

-12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.36 ¥2.43

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.38 ¥9.20

-13.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.73 ¥18.27

-37.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.78 ¥11.88

-2.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.90 ¥12.72

-6.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$1.15 ¥7.71

12.17%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.50 ¥10.06

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$16.69 ¥112

-14.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$5.04 ¥33.72

-34.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$11.91 ¥79.7

-6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$2.20 ¥14.73

-3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.27 ¥8.52

36.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.37 ¥9.19

52.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.71 ¥11.45

-9.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.94 ¥6.31

-26.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$1.18 ¥7.90

-22.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.84 ¥5.65

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.70 ¥4.65

-12.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$3.82 ¥25.57

11.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$10.61 ¥70.9

31.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$1.03 ¥6.88

-0.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.98 ¥13.23

-8.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.44 ¥2.92

56.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$22.21 ¥149

56.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.75 ¥11.70

8.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.44 ¥2.93

-20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$6.90 ¥46.13

5.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.32 ¥8.84

0.76%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

2.92%

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

$60.9 ¥407

-2.96%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$15.89 ¥106

-44.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$14.37 ¥96.1

-1.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$70.7 ¥472

-41.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$12.16 ¥81.3

104.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$6.56 ¥43.84

13.41%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$1,480 ¥9,893

-55.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$24.1K ¥161.4K

-0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$49.38 ¥330

44.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$41.44 ¥277

-3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$83.1 ¥555

6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$70.5 ¥471

79.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$537 ¥3,588

76.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$276 ¥1,845

89.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$1,318 ¥8,813

79.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$477 ¥3,190

135.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$8,679 ¥58.0K

41.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$3,409 ¥22.8K

89.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$1,275 ¥8,527

34.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.38

-7.69%

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

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30% 47.3% $247

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$238 25.9% 4.3% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$110 12% 25% $37

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10.1% 13.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9% 11% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.1% 49.7% $28

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3% 32.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $537 in Guangzhou (Canton). 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 35% 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $238 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

14,043,500

💱 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) Guangzhou (Canton) 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 29%, 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 $1,380 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). 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 $920 in Guangzhou (Canton). That's a gap of about 29%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $920, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – 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 Guangzhou (Canton). 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.