Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
Learn more

Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

Jump to prices

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $768 in Hefei, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Hefei $768

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,225 in Hefei, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Hefei $1,225

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,681 in Hefei, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Hefei $1,681

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 54% more than Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Hefei are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Hefei 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$2.58 ¥17.28

75.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$22.44 ¥150

34.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.36 ¥29.18

22.94%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$2.75 ¥18.39

29.82%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.49 ¥3.26

4.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.27 ¥1.80

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.06 ¥7.09

12.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.00 ¥13.35

-14.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.62 ¥10.84

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$2.06 ¥13.75

-14.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.81 ¥5.42

59.26%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.92 ¥12.84

1.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$14.10 ¥94.3

1.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$4.90 ¥32.76

-32.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$11.57 ¥77.3

-3.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$2.31 ¥15.45

-8.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.72 ¥11.52

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.64 ¥10.95

27.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.61 ¥10.79

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.80 ¥5.37

-13.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$0.94 ¥6.26

-3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.79 ¥5.26

-5.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.70 ¥4.70

-12.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$3.08 ¥20.59

38.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$12.16 ¥81.3

14.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.93 ¥6.21

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.99 ¥13.28

-9.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.31 ¥2.09

122.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$45.22 ¥302

-23.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.23 ¥8.21

54.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.33 ¥2.20

6.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$3.51 ¥23.48

107.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.33 ¥8.91

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

3.20%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

6.79%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$48.54 ¥325

21.67%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$9.54 ¥63.8

-8.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$12.08 ¥80.8

17.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$15.66 ¥105

162.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$15.31 ¥102

62.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$6.41 ¥42.85

16.07%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$236 ¥1,581

176.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$8,656 ¥57.9K

177.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$89.7 ¥600

-20.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$32.76 ¥219

22.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$62.7 ¥419

40.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$96.9 ¥648

30.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$241 ¥1,609

292.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$179 ¥1,197

192.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$532 ¥3,558

343.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$340 ¥2,270

230.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$3,573 ¥23.9K

243.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$1,975 ¥13.2K

226.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$1,011 ¥6,763

69.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.15

-0.95%

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

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

Last update for Hefei: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Hefei

$179 23.3% 65.8% $344

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Hefei

$235 30.6% 2.6% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Hefei

$127 16.5% 13.5% $20

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Hefei

$79 10.3% 26.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Hefei

$70 9.1% 14.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Hefei

$28 3.7% 49.1% $27

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Hefei

$49 6.4% 19.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $241 in Hefei. 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 70% 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 $22.00 in Hefei. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $235 in Hefei – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

9,369,881

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Hefei 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
Hefei

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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,151 in Hefei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hefei, 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 Hefei. 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 $768 in Hefei. That's a gap of about 54%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hefei, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Hefei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hefei – 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 Hefei. 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.