Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Panjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Panjin: $692 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
Learn more

Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Panjin
Learn more

Panjin Living Index

Jump to prices

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Panjin

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $692 in Panjin, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Panjin $692

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,079 in Panjin, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Panjin $1,079

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,466 in Panjin, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Panjin $1,466

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 71% more than Panjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Panjin are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Panjin 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$2.98 ¥19.91

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$14.99 ¥100

97.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$3.65 ¥24.42

42.74%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$2.45 ¥16.41

51.84%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.35 ¥2.36

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.35 ¥2.36

-25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$0.86 ¥5.75

36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$1.84 ¥12.31

-9.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.53 ¥10.21

7.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$2.39 ¥15.99

-26.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.62 ¥4.17

104.84%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$0.87 ¥5.81

116.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$11.34 ¥75.8

29.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$1.50 ¥10.04

110.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$14.76 ¥98.7

-25.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$1.47 ¥9.80

37.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.22 ¥8.15

40.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.63 ¥10.91

27.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.47 ¥9.84

5.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.57 ¥3.83

26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$0.88 ¥5.86

-3.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.43 ¥2.86

60.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.64 ¥4.26

-4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$3.71 ¥24.81

16.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$16.74 ¥112

-15.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.47 ¥3.12

114.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.10 ¥7.37

65.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.29 ¥1.91

141.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$15.75 ¥105

118.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$0.93 ¥6.19

106.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.29 ¥1.91

13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$3.01 ¥20.09

154.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.18 ¥7.92

13.56%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.7K ¥131.9K

-2.30%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$14.8K ¥99.2K

23.31%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$45.36 ¥303

26.37%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$4.61 ¥30.84

98.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$7.55 ¥50.5

88.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$42.21 ¥282

0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$14.91 ¥99.7

65.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$5.97 ¥39.89

23.95%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$296 ¥1,981

122.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$21.6K ¥144.7K

11.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$44.54 ¥298

56.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$33.98 ¥227

16.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$60.9 ¥407

46.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$69.4 ¥464

83.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$329 ¥2,201

185.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$181 ¥1,212

188.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$581 ¥3,888

298.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$331 ¥2,210

241.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$3,032 ¥20.3K

308.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$2,074 ¥13.9K

203.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

$604 ¥4,038

183.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.9

-20.00%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 11, 2026

Last update for Panjin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Panjin

$181 26.2% 65.4% $342

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Panjin

$210 30.4% 7.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Panjin

$94 13.6% 35.8% $52

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Panjin

$75 10.9% 30.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Panjin

$58 8.3% 28.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Panjin

$54 7.8% 5.3% $3

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Panjin

$19 2.8% 52.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $329 in Panjin. 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 184% 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 $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $15.00 in Panjin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $210 – making Panjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Panjin

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,389,691

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Panjin 500 km

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
Panjin

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 Panjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,037 in Panjin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Panjin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $15.00 in Panjin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin) and $692 in Panjin. That's a gap of about 71%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panjin, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Panjin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Panjin – 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 Panjin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.