Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Karamay

For one person, living is cheaper in Karamay: $731 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Karamay
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Karamay Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Karamay

🇨🇳 China

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $731 in Karamay, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Karamay $731

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,172 in Karamay, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Karamay $1,172

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,612 in Karamay, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Karamay $1,612

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 64% more than Karamay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Karamay are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Karamay 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$3.04 ¥20.20

45.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$22.13 ¥147

34.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$4.97 ¥33.05

8.05%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.84 ¥18.92

31.34%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.47 ¥3.14

19.15%

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

$1.06 ¥7.06

12.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.13 ¥14.15

-18.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.43

$1.86 ¥12.35

-7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.60 ¥10.65

10.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$1.01 ¥6.74

27.72%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.60 ¥10.63

19.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$13.16 ¥87.6

11.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.35 ¥22.32

-3.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$11.42 ¥76.0

-1.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$1.83 ¥12.17

16.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.89

$1.36 ¥9.02

31.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$1.58 ¥10.49

29.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.26 ¥8.38

21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.75 ¥5.01

-1.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.97 ¥6.48

-5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.63 ¥4.18

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.60 ¥3.98

1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.58

$3.77 ¥25.06

17.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$11.33 ¥75.4

23.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.88 ¥5.85

17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.59 ¥10.61

13.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.90

$0.33 ¥2.17

78.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥217

$19.01 ¥127

71.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.47 ¥9.81

36.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.32 ¥2.16

3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$7.42 ¥49.40

3.50%

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 ¥131.4K

$18.7K ¥124.4K

5.60%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$15.3K ¥102.0K

17.43%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$50.0 ¥333

17.61%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$8.61 ¥57.3

1.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$10.96 ¥72.9

32.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$42.43 ¥282

10.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$16.34 ¥109

49.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$6.40 ¥42.60

18.75%

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

$985 ¥6,556

$431 ¥2,869

128.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.2K

$17.4K ¥115.5K

41.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$43.82 ¥292

64.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$33.60 ¥224

19.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥578

$74.6 ¥497

16.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$75.4 ¥502

67.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$285 ¥1,896

227.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,524

$185 ¥1,229

186.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$596 ¥3,964

282.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,293

$369 ¥2,455

197.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$3,114 ¥20.7K

279.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$1,975 ¥13.1K

232.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$604 ¥4,018

182.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.36

-7.14%

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

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

Last update for Karamay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Karamay

$185 25.3% 65.1% $345

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Karamay

$210 28.7% 8.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Karamay

$102 14% 30.1% $44

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Karamay

$86 11.8% 21.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Karamay

$70 9.5% 15.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Karamay

$55 7.6% 10.8% $6.7

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Karamay

$23 3.2% 39.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $285 in Karamay. 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 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $22 in Karamay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $210 – making Karamay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Karamay

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

490,348

💱 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) Karamay 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 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 Karamay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 64%, 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 $1,096 in Karamay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karamay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $22 in Karamay. 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 $731 in Karamay. That makes Karamay about 39% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karamay, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Karamay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karamay – 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 Karamay. 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.