Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Nanchang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchang: $650 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)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Nanchang
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Nanchang Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Nanchang

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $650 in Nanchang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Nanchang $650

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,055 in Nanchang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Nanchang $1,055

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,460 in Nanchang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Nanchang $1,460

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 84% more than Nanchang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Nanchang are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Nanchang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$2.35 ¥15.64

88.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$18.12 ¥121

63.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$4.82 ¥32.09

11.41%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.60 ¥17.28

43.46%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.43 ¥2.88

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.25 ¥1.65

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$1.33 ¥8.88

-10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$1.88 ¥12.53

-7.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.43

$2.05 ¥13.65

-16.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$2.43 ¥16.16

-27.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.89 ¥5.93

44.94%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.68 ¥11.19

13.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$13.27 ¥88.3

10.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.91 ¥26.01

-17.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$11.89 ¥79.1

-5.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$1.98 ¥13.21

7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.89

$1.08 ¥7.21

65.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$1.93 ¥12.86

6.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.85 ¥12.34

-17.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.84 ¥5.60

-11.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.18 ¥7.83

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.64 ¥4.28

7.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.44 ¥2.91

38.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.57

$2.94 ¥19.54

51.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$12.48 ¥83.1

12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.73 ¥4.85

41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.46 ¥9.72

23.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.26 ¥1.74

126.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

$15.27 ¥102

113.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.21 ¥8.05

65.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.29 ¥1.91

13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$7.35 ¥48.89

4.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.30 ¥8.68

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-0.21%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$17.3K ¥115.3K

3.89%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$35.06 ¥233

67.83%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$8.91 ¥59.3

-2.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$13.40 ¥89.2

8.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$42.60 ¥283

9.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$19.11 ¥127

28.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$6.20 ¥41.27

22.58%

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

$985 ¥6,556

$325 ¥2,165

202.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.2K

$17.0K ¥113.2K

44.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$36.85 ¥245

95.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$22.79 ¥152

76.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$87.7 ¥584

-1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$59.5 ¥396

111.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$224 ¥1,493

315.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,524

$121 ¥802

339.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$448 ¥2,983

408.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,293

$251 ¥1,672

336.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$2,001 ¥13.3K

489.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$1,615 ¥10.7K

306.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$741 ¥4,931

130.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.46

-9.83%

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

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

Last update for Nanchang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Nanchang

$121 18.5% 77.2% $409

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Nanchang

$228 35% 0.8% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Nanchang

$93 14.3% 36.4% $53

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Nanchang

$78 11.9% 28.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Nanchang

$57 8.8% 30.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Nanchang

$55 8.5% 11.2% $6.9

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Nanchang

$19 2.9% 50.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $224 in Nanchang. 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 Nanchang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $228 – making Nanchang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Nanchang

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

5,042,566

💱 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) Nanchang 1,250 km ≈ 2 h 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 Nanchang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 84%, 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 $976 in Nanchang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $224 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

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

Public transport costs about 53% less in Nanchang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Nanchang, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Nanchang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanchang – 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 Nanchang. 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.