Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Suzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $861 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$861

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $861 in Suzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Suzhou $861

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,479 in Suzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Suzhou $1,479

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,096 in Suzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Suzhou $2,096

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 37% more than Suzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Suzhou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Suzhou 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$4.20 ¥28.10

6.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$30.41 ¥203

-2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$5.30 ¥35.47

-1.70%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$3.35 ¥22.38

11.04%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.69 ¥4.64

-27.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.41 ¥2.77

-36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$2.20 ¥14.68

-46.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$4.50 ¥30.09

-63.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.95 ¥13.04

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.98 ¥13.23

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.29 ¥8.66

-1.55%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.75 ¥11.73

7.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$17.49 ¥117

-16.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$3.49 ¥23.35

-9.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$8.44 ¥56.4

30.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$2.03 ¥13.59

-0.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.23 ¥8.21

39.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.34 ¥8.98

55.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.43 ¥9.57

8.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.69 ¥4.63

4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$1.18 ¥7.86

-27.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.82 ¥5.51

-15.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.60 ¥3.98

1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$4.59 ¥30.69

-5.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$8.75 ¥58.5

61.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$1.09 ¥7.32

-7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$2.06 ¥13.75

-11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.38 ¥2.56

84.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$45.71 ¥306

-24.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.70 ¥11.37

12.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.38 ¥2.56

-13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$10.06 ¥67.3

-23.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.34 ¥8.96

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.5K ¥130.2K

-0.99%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$18.2K ¥121.9K

0.37%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$98.3 ¥658

-41.71%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$12.97 ¥86.7

-29.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.25 ¥75.3

26.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$33.27 ¥222

27.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$18.75 ¥125

31.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$5.99 ¥40.08

23.54%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$1,250 ¥8,359

-47.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$22.1K ¥147.8K

9.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$52.0 ¥347

34.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$40.23 ¥269

-1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$83.4 ¥558

6.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$85.8 ¥573

48.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$447 ¥2,986

110.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$192 ¥1,285

172.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$1,066 ¥7,125

117.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$606 ¥4,055

86.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$5,508 ¥36.8K

124.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$2,752 ¥18.4K

128.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

$1,345 ¥8,995

27.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.53

-11.61%

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

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

Last update for Suzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Suzhou

$192 22.3% 63.3% $331

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Suzhou

$219 25.4% 3.6% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Suzhou

$118 13.7% 19.7% $29

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Suzhou

$114 13.3% 5.5% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Suzhou

$123 14.2% 52% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Suzhou

$45 5.3% 20.8% $12

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Suzhou

$51 5.9% 24.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $447 in Suzhou. 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 27% 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 $30.00 in Suzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $219 in Suzhou – so Suzhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

12,748,262

💱 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) Suzhou 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
Suzhou

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 Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 37%, 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 $1,292 in Suzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suzhou, 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 $30.00 in Suzhou. 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 $861 in Suzhou. That's a gap of about 37%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Suzhou, where all-in costs run around $861, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Suzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suzhou – 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 Suzhou. 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.