Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $500 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $500 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Kaifeng $500

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $792 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Kaifeng $792

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,083 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Kaifeng $1,083

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 139% more than Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Kaifeng are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Kaifeng 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$1.85 ¥12.32

138.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$13.44 ¥89.4

120.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$4.12 ¥27.43

30.34%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.19 ¥14.56

70.32%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.39 ¥2.57

43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.17 ¥1.15

70.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$0.89 ¥5.92

33.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.53 ¥10.17

13.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.42

$1.57 ¥10.42

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.54 ¥10.23

14.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.81 ¥5.40

59.26%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$0.96 ¥6.40

98.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$6.67 ¥44.36

120.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$2.30 ¥15.27

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$10.21 ¥67.9

9.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$0.87 ¥5.79

144.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.88

$0.97 ¥6.43

84.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$0.59 ¥3.95

247.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$0.64 ¥4.26

139.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.58 ¥3.84

27.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.67 ¥4.48

37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.21 ¥1.39

228.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.55 ¥3.68

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.57

$2.94 ¥19.59

51.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$14.88 ¥99.0

-5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$1.01 ¥6.71

1.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$2.01 ¥13.37

-10.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.13 ¥0.88

353.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.17 ¥7.76

70.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.15 ¥0.99

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$3.69 ¥24.54

108.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.27 ¥8.45

2.36%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.2K ¥127.5K

3.01%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$14.9K ¥99.1K

20.88%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$45.22 ¥301

30.12%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$4.76 ¥31.66

82.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$5.28 ¥35.12

174.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$29.67 ¥197

57.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$10.55 ¥70.2

132.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$3.82 ¥25.39

98.95%

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

$985 ¥6,555

$388 ¥2,585

153.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.1K

$31.2K ¥207.6K

-21.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$43.81 ¥292

64.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$33.96 ¥226

18.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$71.9 ¥478

20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$45.32 ¥302

178.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$121 ¥802

674.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,523

$88.7 ¥590

497.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$225 ¥1,496

913.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,292

$180 ¥1,199

508.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$580 ¥3,857

194.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.1

0.65%

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

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

Last update for Kaifeng: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Kaifeng

$89 17.7% 83.3% $441

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Kaifeng

$165 33.1% 28% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Kaifeng

$88 17.6% 40% $59

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Kaifeng

$63 12.6% 42.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Kaifeng

$55 11.1% 32.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Kaifeng

$37 7.5% 39.8% $25

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Kaifeng

$2.4 * 0.5% 93.7% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $121 in Kaifeng. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $13 in Kaifeng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $165 – making Kaifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

4,676,159

💱 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) Kaifeng 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 139%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,796 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $750 in Kaifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaifeng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $13 in Kaifeng. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Beijing (Pekin), though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kaifeng, where all-in costs run around $500, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Kaifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaifeng – 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 Kaifeng. 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.