Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Ningbo Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Ningbo

🙂 Solo nomad: Beijing (Pekin) is 5% cheaper than Ningbo without rent, and 24.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Beijing (Pekin) is 1.9% more expensive than Ningbo without rent, and 39.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.08 ¥29.26
$3.14 ¥22.55
29.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.3 ¥196
$24.13 ¥173
13.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.17 ¥37.06
$4.07 ¥29.17
27.03%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ¥22.18
$3.15 ¥22.6
-1.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ¥3.26
$0.45 ¥3.23
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.3 ¥2.17
$0.26 ¥1.85
15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.09 ¥7.8
$0.93 ¥6.67
17.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 ¥15.27
$2.12 ¥15.2
0.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ¥12.1
$2.06 ¥14.8
-17.96%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥11.74
$2.74 ¥19.69
-40.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.07 ¥7.66
$0.79 ¥5.66
35.44%
Eggs
$1.67 ¥12.01
$1.39 ¥9.96
20.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.01 ¥115
$20.65 ¥148
-22.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.19 ¥22.88
$4.77 ¥34.25
-33.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.51 ¥68.2
$12 ¥86.1
-20.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.07 ¥14.88
$1.93 ¥13.86
7.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 ¥11.28
$1.42 ¥10.2
10.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.8 ¥12.93
$2.29 ¥16.46
-21.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.29 ¥9.23
$1.15 ¥8.25
12.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 ¥5.99
$0.67 ¥4.78
25.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 ¥6.55
$0.79 ¥5.63
15.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ¥4.83
$0.59 ¥4.2
13.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.74
$0.57 ¥4.06
-8.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.45 ¥24.73
$5.43 ¥38.95
-36.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.69 ¥62.3
$11.24 ¥80.6
-22.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.8 ¥5.73
$1.1 ¥7.86
-27.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ¥12.58
$1.98 ¥14.21
-11.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 ¥3.85
$0.29 ¥2.09
86.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.25 ¥224
$16.49 ¥118
89.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.78 ¥12.73
$1.7 ¥12.16
4.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.36
$0.35 ¥2.55
-5.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.64 ¥76.4
$7.23 ¥51.8
47.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ¥8.19
$1.19 ¥8.5
-4.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.7K ¥134.5K
$21.4K ¥153.3K
-12.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.6K ¥111.9K
$19.4K ¥139.3K
-19.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.2 ¥375
$64.7 ¥464
-19.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.86 ¥63.6
$15.55 ¥112
-43.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.53 ¥89.9
$7.01 ¥50.3
78.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.38 ¥347
$21.86 ¥157
121.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.48 ¥133
$12.75 ¥91.4
44.94%
Cinema Ticket
$8.32 ¥59.7
$8.12 ¥58.2
2.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$664 ¥4,766
$603 ¥4,325
10.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24K ¥172.3K
$15.5K ¥111.1K
55.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.3 ¥440
$42.38 ¥304
44.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.24 ¥253
$29.76 ¥213
18.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ¥573
$70.3 ¥504
13.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 ¥725
$61.5 ¥441
64.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$892 ¥6,397
$376 ¥2,695
137.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ¥3,234
$262 ¥1,880
72.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,946 ¥14K
$853 ¥6,119
128.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,092 ¥7,836
$485 ¥3,482
125.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.7K ¥105.4K
$4,862 ¥34.9K
202.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,282 ¥45.1K
$3,244 ¥23.3K
93.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Beijing (Pekin)
Ningbo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,425 ¥10.2K
$848 ¥6,084
68.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.64
4.85
-24.95%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 28, 2025

Last update for Ningbo: October 27, 2025

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