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

🙂 Solo nomad: Beijing (Pekin) is 13.6% cheaper than Suzhou without rent, and 6.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Beijing (Pekin) is 13.7% cheaper than Suzhou without rent, and 13.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.08 ¥29.26
$4.11 ¥29.45
-0.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.3 ¥196
$41.31 ¥296
-33.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.17 ¥37.06
$5.61 ¥40.27
-7.84%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ¥22.18
$4.04 ¥28.94
-23.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ¥3.26
$1.73 ¥12.44
-73.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.3 ¥2.17
$0.74 ¥5.27
-59.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.09 ¥7.8
$4.1 ¥29.44
-73.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 ¥15.27
$5.71 ¥40.99
-62.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 ¥12.1
$2.34 ¥16.8
-27.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥11.74
$2.4 ¥17.25
-31.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.07 ¥7.66
$1.16 ¥8.34
-7.76%
Eggs
$1.67 ¥12.01
$1.94 ¥13.92
-13.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.01 ¥115
$20.89 ¥150
-23.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.19 ¥22.88
$3.73 ¥26.79
-14.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.51 ¥68.2
$7.92 ¥56.8
20.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.07 ¥14.88
$2.05 ¥14.72
0.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 ¥11.28
$1.56 ¥11.18
0.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.8 ¥12.93
$1.6 ¥11.48
12.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.29 ¥9.23
$1.32 ¥9.5
-2.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 ¥5.99
$0.64 ¥4.57
31.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 ¥6.55
$1.13 ¥8.12
-19.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ¥4.83
$1.01 ¥7.27
-33.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.74
$0.5 ¥3.59
4.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.45 ¥24.73
$4.29 ¥30.81
-19.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.69 ¥62.3
$12.56 ¥90.1
-30.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.8 ¥5.73
$0.89 ¥6.4
-10.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ¥12.58
$2.79 ¥20.02
-37.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 ¥3.85
$0.27 ¥1.93
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.25 ¥224
$41.38 ¥297
-24.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.78 ¥12.73
$1.84 ¥13.18
-3.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.36
$0.33 ¥2.35
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.64 ¥76.4
$8.33 ¥59.8
27.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ¥8.19
$1.15 ¥8.24
-0.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.7K ¥134.5K
$21.2K ¥152.1K
-11.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.6K ¥111.9K
$23.4K ¥167.9K
-33.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.2 ¥375
$116 ¥835
-55.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.86 ¥63.6
$14.75 ¥106
-39.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.53 ¥89.9
$11.69 ¥83.8
7.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.38 ¥347
$66.1 ¥474
-26.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.48 ¥133
$18.97 ¥136
-2.58%
Cinema Ticket
$8.32 ¥59.7
$6.84 ¥49.05
21.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$664 ¥4,766
$766 ¥5,497
-13.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24K ¥172.3K
$16.6K ¥119.2K
44.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.3 ¥440
$53.3 ¥382
15.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.24 ¥253
$36.08 ¥259
-2.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ¥573
$72.8 ¥522
9.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 ¥725
$92.8 ¥665
8.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$892 ¥6,397
$406 ¥2,909
119.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 ¥3,234
$208 ¥1,492
116.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,946 ¥14K
$983 ¥7,049
97.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,092 ¥7,836
$509 ¥3,648
114.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.7K ¥105.4K
$5,665 ¥40.6K
159.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,282 ¥45.1K
$2,919 ¥20.9K
115.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,425 ¥10.2K
$1,180 ¥8,463
20.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.64
3.86
-5.70%

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

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

Last update for Suzhou: October 29, 2025

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