Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $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)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Shantou $692

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,104 in Shantou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Shantou $1,104

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,516 in Shantou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Shantou $1,516

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$2.29 ¥15.34

95.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$23.70 ¥158

25.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$5.17 ¥34.58

0.77%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$3.38 ¥22.63

10.06%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.47 ¥3.12

6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.31 ¥2.05

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$0.88 ¥5.91

32.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.13 ¥14.27

-22.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.60 ¥10.71

3.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.45 ¥9.73

21.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.77 ¥5.17

64.94%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.69 ¥11.33

11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$13.63 ¥91.1

7.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$3.43 ¥22.90

-8.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$13.16 ¥88.0

-16.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$1.95 ¥13.03

3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.50 ¥10.05

14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.81 ¥12.13

14.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.30 ¥8.70

19.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.82 ¥5.49

-12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$1.06 ¥7.11

-19.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.59 ¥3.96

16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.43 ¥2.87

41.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$3.69 ¥24.70

17.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$12.00 ¥80.2

17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.83 ¥5.57

21.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.79 ¥11.98

1.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.36 ¥2.41

94.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$24.27 ¥162

42.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.53 ¥10.24

25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.38 ¥2.56

-13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$7.31 ¥48.85

4.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.23 ¥8.24

8.94%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.8K ¥132.3K

-2.60%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$18.0K ¥120.5K

1.54%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$56.7 ¥379

1.16%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$8.89 ¥59.4

2.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$13.86 ¥92.7

2.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$7.54 ¥50.5

-1.86%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$540 ¥3,613

22.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$24.2K ¥162.0K

-0.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$55.6 ¥372

25.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$39.70 ¥265

-0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$73.1 ¥488

21.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$91.4 ¥611

38.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$298 ¥1,991

215.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$151 ¥1,011

246.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$602 ¥4,027

285.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$294 ¥1,968

283.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$2,278 ¥15.2K

443.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$4,469 ¥29.9K

40.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

$1,062 ¥7,097

61.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.35

-6.87%

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

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 71.1% $372

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Shantou

$214 31% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 20.1% $29

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 20.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 1.6% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 73.6% $42

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 28.6% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $298 in Shantou. 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 61% 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 $24.00 in Shantou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $214 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

5,389,328

💱 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) Shantou 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,038 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou. 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 Shantou. That's a gap of about 71%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. 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.