Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $795 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $795 in Heyuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Heyuan $795

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,264 in Heyuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Heyuan $1,264

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,732 in Heyuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Heyuan $1,732

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 50% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Heyuan are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Heyuan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.34

$2.98 ¥19.82

48.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$29.61 ¥197

0.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.71

$5.32 ¥35.34

0.94%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.78

$3.03 ¥20.15

23.10%

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

$0.56 ¥3.70

$0.58 ¥3.87

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.36 ¥2.42

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.90

$1.32 ¥8.80

-9.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.53

$2.78 ¥18.45

-37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.41

$1.87 ¥12.40

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.78

$1.82 ¥12.08

-2.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.11 ¥7.35

16.22%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.72

$1.60 ¥10.61

19.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.7

$16.83 ¥112

-12.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.43

$5.19 ¥34.48

-37.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.6

$12.27 ¥81.6

-8.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.13

$2.31 ¥15.37

-7.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.87

$1.24 ¥8.26

44.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.60

$1.45 ¥9.65

41.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.18

$1.70 ¥11.32

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$1.03 ¥6.83

-28.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.18 ¥7.82

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.59

$0.77 ¥5.15

-10.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.03

$0.72 ¥4.80

-15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.53

$3.86 ¥25.63

15.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.1

$10.57 ¥70.2

32.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.83

$1.02 ¥6.80

0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥11.99

$1.98 ¥13.18

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.29 ¥1.92

103.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

$19.14 ¥127

69.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.31

$1.76 ¥11.71

13.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.43 ¥2.88

-23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$6.92 ¥45.96

10.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.63

$1.32 ¥8.80

-1.52%

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

$19.7K ¥131.2K

$19.2K ¥127.4K

2.92%

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

$18.0K ¥119.6K

$17.8K ¥118.0K

1.40%

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

$58.8 ¥391

$60.3 ¥401

-2.44%

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

$8.71 ¥57.9

$16.38 ¥109

-46.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.4

$14.48 ¥96.2

0.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥310

$42.84 ¥285

9.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$16.23 ¥108

50.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.5

$6.73 ¥44.74

12.93%

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

$985 ¥6,546

$435 ¥2,888

126.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥162.9K

$24.1K ¥160.5K

1.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥479

$49.51 ¥329

45.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥267

$41.10 ¥273

-2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$82.5 ¥548

5.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥838

$68.9 ¥458

82.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,200

$291 ¥1,936

220.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,519

$181 ¥1,202

192.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.1K

$612 ¥4,065

272.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,282

$317 ¥2,106

245.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.5K

$3,407 ¥22.6K

246.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.6K

$1,804 ¥12.0K

263.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.3K

$1,335 ¥8,873

27.85%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Heyuan

$181 22.8% 65.8% $349

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Heyuan

$242 30.4% 5.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 25.5% $37

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 15.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Heyuan

$91 11.5% 11.1% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Heyuan

$56 7.1% 9% $5.6

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Heyuan

$24 3.1% 37.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $291 in Heyuan. 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 28% 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 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $30 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $242 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

2,953,019

💱 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) Heyuan 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 50%, 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 $1,193 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heyuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $291 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Public transport costs about 41% less in Heyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Beijing (Pekin) – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Families tend to lean toward Heyuan – 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 Heyuan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.