Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $748 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $748 in Nantong, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Nantong $748

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,233 in Nantong, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Nantong $1,233

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,719 in Nantong, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Nantong $1,719

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 60% more than Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Nantong are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Nantong 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$2.97 ¥19.73

48.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$23.82 ¥159

24.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$4.44 ¥29.54

20.95%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.84 ¥18.90

31.34%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.65 ¥4.32

-13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.31 ¥2.04

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$0.73 ¥4.85

63.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.31 ¥15.35

-25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.43

$1.58 ¥10.49

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.53 ¥10.19

15.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.84 ¥5.57

53.57%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.76 ¥11.70

8.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$6.84 ¥45.54

114.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.66 ¥24.38

-12.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$10.04 ¥66.8

11.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$2.32 ¥15.46

-8.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.89

$1.35 ¥9.01

32.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$1.47 ¥9.79

39.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.42 ¥9.45

7.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.73 ¥4.86

1.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.93 ¥6.18

-1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.66 ¥4.40

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.51 ¥3.41

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.57

$3.30 ¥21.94

34.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$9.20 ¥61.2

52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.79 ¥5.28

30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.70 ¥11.34

5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.21 ¥1.40

180.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

$14.81 ¥98.6

119.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.89 ¥12.61

5.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.39 ¥2.56

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$7.23 ¥48.09

6.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.16 ¥7.72

12.07%

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$19.1K ¥127.3K

3.15%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$18.4K ¥122.7K

-2.34%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$47.68 ¥317

23.41%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$7.37 ¥49.03

18.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$15.00 ¥99.8

-3.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$114 ¥756

-58.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$12.01 ¥79.9

103.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$7.34 ¥48.83

3.54%

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

$985 ¥6,556

$204 ¥1,355

383.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.2K

$11.9K ¥78.9K

106.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$58.6 ¥390

22.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$41.71 ¥278

-3.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$64.6 ¥430

34.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$108 ¥719

16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$211 ¥1,402

342.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,524

$142 ¥946

272.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$696 ¥4,630

227.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,293

$354 ¥2,358

209.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$3,703 ¥24.6K

218.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$2,275 ¥15.1K

188.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$1,327 ¥8,828

28.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.5

-10.86%

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

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

Last update for Nantong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Nantong

$142 19% 73.1% $387

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 20.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Nantong

$123 16.4% 16% $23

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Nantong

$83 11.1% 23.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 14.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Nantong

$128 17.2% 107% $66

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 49.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $211 in Nantong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $24 in Nantong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $182 – making Nantong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

7,726,635

💱 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) Nantong 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,122 in Nantong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nantong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $24 in Nantong. 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 $748 in Nantong. That makes Nantong about 38% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Nantong – 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 Nantong. 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.