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

🙂 Solo nomad: Beijing (Pekin) is 4.3% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 11.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Beijing (Pekin) is 6.5% cheaper than Shanghai without rent, and 7.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ¥29.07

$4.85 ¥34.29

-15.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.4 ¥201

$36.66 ¥259

-22.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥37.53

$5.41 ¥38.27

-1.85%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥22

$3.53 ¥24.95

-11.90%

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

$0.46 ¥3.23

$0.58 ¥4.12

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.3 ¥2.14

$0.34 ¥2.39

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.64

$1.4 ¥9.92

-22.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥15.15

$2.78 ¥19.64

-23.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.7

$2.11 ¥14.91

-21.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥11.25

$1.84 ¥13.01

-13.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.82

$1.06 ¥7.47

4.72%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥12.11

$1.61 ¥11.38

6.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.86 ¥112

$15.27 ¥108

3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥22.76

$3.07 ¥21.68

4.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 ¥70.2

$10.94 ¥77.4

-9.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥15.1

$2.38 ¥16.8

-10.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥11.37

$1.75 ¥12.36

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 ¥12.32

$1.79 ¥12.67

-2.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.3 ¥9.16

$1.47 ¥10.38

-11.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.99

$0.85 ¥6.04

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.75

$1.11 ¥7.88

-14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ¥5.14

$0.64 ¥4.51

14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.93

$0.56 ¥3.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ¥24.14

$2.82 ¥19.93

20.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.79 ¥69.2

$11.49 ¥81.2

-14.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥6.17

$0.78 ¥5.53

11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.85

$1.63 ¥11.56

11.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ¥3.84

$0.44 ¥3.09

22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.59 ¥223

$34.77 ¥246

-9.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 ¥12.63

$2.21 ¥15.61

-19.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.32

$0.4 ¥2.85

-17.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.55 ¥74.6

$8.33 ¥58.9

26.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥7.63

$1.09 ¥7.68

-0.92%

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

$18.4K ¥129.9K

$19.7K ¥139.3K

-6.73%

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

$15.5K ¥109.8K

$18.1K ¥127.9K

-14.12%

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

$52.2 ¥369

$51.8 ¥366

0.77%

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

$8.95 ¥63.3

$8.81 ¥62.3

1.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.78 ¥90.4

$13.66 ¥96.6

-6.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50 ¥354

$46.59 ¥329

7.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.1 ¥128

$19.95 ¥141

-9.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 ¥58.6

$8.58 ¥60.6

-3.38%

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

$675 ¥4,775

$1,267 ¥8,958

-46.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K ¥165.4K

$32K ¥226.3K

-26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ¥441

$58.4 ¥413

6.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.05 ¥241

$37.88 ¥268

-10.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ¥551

$76.5 ¥541

1.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ¥717

$95.9 ¥678

5.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ¥6,419

$961 ¥6,798

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 ¥3,196

$560 ¥3,958

-19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 ¥13.6K

$2,502 ¥17.7K

-23.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 ¥7,787

$1,192 ¥8,426

-7.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.4K ¥102.1K

$14.3K ¥100.8K

1.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,035 ¥42.7K

$7,164 ¥50.7K

-15.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,440 ¥10.2K

$1,553 ¥11K

-7.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

3.58

1.68%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): November 29, 2025

Last update for Shanghai: November 29, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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