Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Quanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $805 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $805 in Quanzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Quanzhou $805

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,188 in Quanzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Quanzhou $1,188

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,571 in Quanzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Quanzhou $1,571

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 47% more than Quanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Quanzhou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Quanzhou 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$2.20 ¥14.68

105.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$29.39 ¥197

2.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.92 ¥32.87

8.94%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$3.31 ¥22.10

7.85%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.43 ¥2.88

18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.29 ¥1.95

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$3.05 ¥20.36

-60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.76 ¥11.79

-2.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.45 ¥9.70

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$0.84 ¥5.61

110.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$1.00 ¥6.70

29.00%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.55 ¥10.36

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$7.63 ¥51.0

87.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$2.21 ¥14.78

49.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$5.35 ¥35.79

107.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$1.53 ¥10.20

38.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.01 ¥6.75

71.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$0.78 ¥5.24

167.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.08 ¥7.22

42.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.43 ¥2.89

60.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$1.04 ¥6.93

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.16 ¥1.10

368.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.48 ¥3.21

27.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$3.15 ¥21.07

35.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$7.33 ¥49.03

89.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.93 ¥6.21

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.32 ¥8.83

37.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.31 ¥2.07

122.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$24.35 ¥163

43.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.17 ¥7.81

62.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.35 ¥2.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$9.16 ¥61.3

-20.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.23 ¥8.25

8.13%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$18.2K ¥121.9K

7.66%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$15.3K ¥102.1K

18.12%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$52.7 ¥353

12.00%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$8.15 ¥54.5

7.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$12.42 ¥83.0

14.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$54.4 ¥363

-24.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$18.66 ¥125

33.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$5.93 ¥39.67

25.46%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$517 ¥3,458

26.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$11.8K ¥78.6K

104.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$21.05 ¥141

238.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$33.66 ¥225

18.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$92.8 ¥621

-4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$95.4 ¥638

32.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$275 ¥1,841

243.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$297 ¥1,983

76.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$506 ¥3,380

367.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$396 ¥2,651

182.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$3,027 ¥20.2K

305.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$2,012 ¥13.4K

220.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$806 ¥5,388

112.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.15

-0.95%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 17, 2026

Last update for Quanzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Quanzhou

$297 36.9% 43.3% $227

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Quanzhou

$137 17% 40% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Quanzhou

$109 13.6% 25.5% $37

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Quanzhou

$94 11.6% 13% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Quanzhou

$73 9.1% 10.7% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Quanzhou

$66 8.2% 18.4% $10

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Quanzhou

$29 3.6% 30.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $275 in Quanzhou. 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 113% 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 $29.00 in Quanzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $137 – making Quanzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

8,128,530

💱 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

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Beijing (Pekin) Quanzhou 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Beijing (Pekin)
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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 Quanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,207 in Quanzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quanzhou, 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 $29.00 in Quanzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin) and $805 in Quanzhou. That's a gap of about 47%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Quanzhou, where all-in costs run around $805, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Quanzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quanzhou – 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 Quanzhou. 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.