Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Jiamusi

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiamusi: $714 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Jiamusi
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Jiamusi Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Jiamusi

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $714 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Jiamusi $714

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,128 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Jiamusi $1,128

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,542 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Jiamusi $1,542

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 66% more than Jiamusi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Jiamusi are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Jiamusi 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$2.71 ¥18.10

67.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$21.32 ¥143

41.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.01 ¥33.52

6.99%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$3.00 ¥20.06

19.00%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.43 ¥2.90

18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.29 ¥1.96

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$0.95 ¥6.36

25.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.14 ¥14.29

-20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.78 ¥11.90

-2.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.56 ¥10.40

13.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.89 ¥5.96

44.94%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.55 ¥10.37

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$13.06 ¥87.3

9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$3.27 ¥21.85

1.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$10.11 ¥67.6

9.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$1.87 ¥12.50

13.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.20 ¥8.05

44.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.49 ¥9.99

40.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.10 ¥7.37

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.71 ¥4.71

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$0.91 ¥6.06

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.60 ¥4.01

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.52 ¥3.45

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$3.19 ¥21.35

33.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$10.63 ¥71.1

30.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.74 ¥4.93

37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.65 ¥11.05

9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.29 ¥1.94

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$16.75 ¥112

107.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.37 ¥9.19

38.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.36 ¥2.37

-2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$6.57 ¥43.90

10.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.18 ¥7.86

12.71%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$19.1K ¥127.8K

2.70%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

5.86%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$44.83 ¥300

31.74%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$9.97 ¥66.7

-12.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.56 ¥77.3

23.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$42.41 ¥284

-3.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$13.90 ¥93.0

79.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$5.80 ¥38.76

28.28%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$328 ¥2,193

99.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

41.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$43.85 ¥293

62.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$29.95 ¥200

33.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$71.0 ¥475

24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$71.0 ¥475

78.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$278 ¥1,857

240.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$193 ¥1,291

171.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$581 ¥3,881

306.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$356 ¥2,381

215.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$3,064 ¥20.5K

300.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$2,042 ¥13.7K

215.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.89

-19.79%

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

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

Last update for Jiamusi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Jiamusi

$193 27% 63.1% $330

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Jiamusi

$198 27.7% 13.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Jiamusi

$97 13.6% 33.8% $50

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Jiamusi

$85 11.9% 21.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Jiamusi

$66 9.3% 19.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Jiamusi

$54 7.6% 3.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Jiamusi

$21 3% 48.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $278 in Jiamusi. 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 $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $21.00 in Jiamusi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $198 – making Jiamusi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Jiamusi

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

2,156,505

💱 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) Jiamusi 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Jiamusi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 66%, 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 $1,071 in Jiamusi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiamusi, 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 $21.00 in Jiamusi. 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 $714 in Jiamusi. That's a gap of about 66%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jiamusi, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Jiamusi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiamusi – 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 Jiamusi. 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.