Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Mianyang, Sichuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan: $645 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
Learn more

Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Mianyang, Sichuan
Learn more

Mianyang, Sichuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Mianyang, Sichuan

🇨🇳 China

$645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beijing (Pekin) and in Mianyang, Sichuan

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $645 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Mianyang, Sichuan $645

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $997 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Mianyang, Sichuan $997

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,349 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Mianyang, Sichuan $1,349

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 85% more than Mianyang, Sichuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$2.92 ¥19.43

51.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$18.06 ¥120

64.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$4.84 ¥32.21

10.95%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$3.02 ¥20.09

23.51%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.47 ¥3.13

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.28 ¥1.87

3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$1.54 ¥10.22

-22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$2.31 ¥15.40

-25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.42

$1.49 ¥9.89

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.51 ¥10.01

17.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$1.00 ¥6.65

29.00%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.62 ¥10.80

17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$14.17 ¥94.3

3.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.68 ¥24.50

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$11.20 ¥74.6

0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$1.90 ¥12.67

12.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.88

$1.34 ¥8.89

33.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$1.05 ¥6.98

95.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.16 ¥7.71

31.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.71 ¥4.70

4.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.67 ¥4.45

37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.61 ¥4.07

13.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.54 ¥3.56

12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.57

$3.84 ¥25.53

15.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$4.53 ¥30.15

209.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.82 ¥5.43

25.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.38 ¥9.16

30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.31 ¥2.09

90.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.06 ¥7.08

88.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.28 ¥1.87

17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$4.57 ¥30.39

68.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.26 ¥8.37

3.17%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-0.38%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$17.9K ¥119.2K

0.51%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$47.87 ¥319

22.92%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$6.73 ¥44.77

29.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$12.85 ¥85.5

12.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$18.21 ¥121

156.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$5.74 ¥38.17

32.40%

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

$985 ¥6,555

$1,169 ¥7,779

-15.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.1K

$14.9K ¥98.9K

64.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$25.08 ¥167

187.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$27.85 ¥185

44.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$56.3 ¥375

54.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$53.4 ¥355

135.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$222 ¥1,480

319.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,523

$191 ¥1,272

176.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$428 ¥2,848

432.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,292

$329 ¥2,191

232.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$1,989 ¥13.2K

493.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$1,522 ¥10.1K

331.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$741 ¥4,932

130.33%

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 Mianyang, Sichuan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6% 63.9% $338

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6% 17% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$73 11.3% 50% $73

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$89 13.9% 18% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$67 10.5% 17.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$30 4.6% 52.1% $32

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$3.7 * 0.6% 90.3% $35

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 $222 in Mianyang, Sichuan. 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 $18 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $191 – making Mianyang, Sichuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

4,868,243

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Mianyang, Sichuan 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
Mianyang, Sichuan

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 Mianyang, Sichuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 85%, 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 $968 in Mianyang, Sichuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $222 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $18 in Mianyang, Sichuan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Beijing (Pekin), though the gap depends on what you buy.

If budget matters most, go with Mianyang, Sichuan. 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.