Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Jiaxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaxing: $637 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Jiaxing
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Jiaxing Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Jiaxing

🇨🇳 China

$637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $637 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Jiaxing $637

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,073 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Jiaxing $1,073

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,509 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Jiaxing $1,509

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 88% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Jiaxing are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Jiaxing 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$3.02 ¥20.07

46.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$22.92 ¥152

29.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$4.45 ¥29.61

20.67%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$3.13 ¥20.82

19.17%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.49 ¥3.25

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.31 ¥2.09

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$0.72 ¥4.76

65.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$2.18 ¥14.53

-20.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.42

$1.90 ¥12.66

-9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$2.01 ¥13.39

-11.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.57 ¥3.82

126.32%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$7.68 ¥51.1

91.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.34 ¥22.21

-3.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$7.57 ¥50.4

48.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$1.60 ¥10.68

33.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.88

$1.15 ¥7.65

55.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$1.01 ¥6.71

102.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$0.64 ¥4.27

139.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.57 ¥3.82

29.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.80 ¥5.32

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.51 ¥3.42

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.59 ¥3.90

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.57

$5.32 ¥35.39

-16.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$11.91 ¥79.3

17.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.73 ¥4.88

41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.37 ¥9.10

31.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.23 ¥1.53

156.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

$16.82 ¥112

93.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.17 ¥7.80

70.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.42 ¥2.81

-21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$7.45 ¥49.56

3.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.26 ¥8.38

3.17%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

1.51%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$19.0K ¥126.4K

-5.21%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$36.89 ¥245

59.50%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$11.70 ¥77.9

-25.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$5.10 ¥33.91

184.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$37.89 ¥252

23.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$7.48 ¥49.74

227.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$5.28 ¥35.13

43.94%

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

$985 ¥6,555

$431 ¥2,866

128.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.1K

$13.0K ¥86.2K

89.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$35.02 ¥233

105.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$21.81 ¥145

84.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$63.5 ¥422

36.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$45.49 ¥303

177.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$282 ¥1,874

231.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,523

$177 ¥1,178

199.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$774 ¥5,148

194.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,292

$444 ¥2,952

147.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$3,887 ¥25.9K

203.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$2,072 ¥13.8K

216.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$736 ¥4,898

131.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.13

-0.32%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 26, 2026

Last update for Jiaxing: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Jiaxing

$177 27.8% 66.6% $353

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Jiaxing

$176 27.7% 23.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Jiaxing

$75 11.7% 49% $72

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Jiaxing

$86 13.5% 20.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Jiaxing

$54 8.4% 34.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Jiaxing

$48 7.6% 21.7% $13

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Jiaxing

$21 3.3% 45.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $282 in Jiaxing. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Beijing (Pekin) are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $23 in Jiaxing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $176 – making Jiaxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Jiaxing

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

3,563,700

💱 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) Jiaxing 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Beijing (Pekin)
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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 Jiaxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 88%, 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 $956 in Jiaxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jiaxing, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $23 in Jiaxing. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin) and $637 in Jiaxing. That makes Jiaxing about 47% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jiaxing, where all-in costs run around $637, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Jiaxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiaxing – 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 Jiaxing. 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.