Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $774 in Taizhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Taizhou $774

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,255 in Taizhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Taizhou $1,255

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,735 in Taizhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Taizhou $1,735

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 53% more than Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Taizhou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Taizhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.24

$3.76 ¥25.05

20.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$25.85 ¥172

16.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.74

$4.54 ¥30.25

18.06%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.78

$3.43 ¥22.87

4.08%

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

$0.51 ¥3.38

$0.53 ¥3.56

-3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.29 ¥1.91

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.92

$1.17 ¥7.82

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.40

$2.27 ¥15.15

-24.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.64

$1.87 ¥12.44

-6.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.65 ¥11.00

7.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$0.54 ¥3.59

138.89%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥12.98

$1.18 ¥7.87

65.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.3

$19.42 ¥130

-26.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.07

$3.66 ¥24.44

-9.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.1

$10.17 ¥67.9

9.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.15

$1.19 ¥7.95

78.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.33 ¥8.87

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.94

$1.52 ¥10.15

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.61 ¥10.75

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$0.74 ¥4.95

-6.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$0.93 ¥6.22

-2.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.03

$0.68 ¥4.53

10.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.58 ¥3.87

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.46

$4.22 ¥28.12

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥92.7

$13.50 ¥90.0

2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.78

$0.43 ¥2.89

137.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.07

$1.64 ¥10.95

10.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.29 ¥1.93

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥232

$18.07 ¥121

92.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.22 ¥8.10

55.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.39 ¥2.58

-10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.56

$7.02 ¥46.81

3.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.85

$1.28 ¥8.55

3.91%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

1.03%

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

$18.0K ¥120.3K

$16.3K ¥108.8K

10.61%

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

$59.1 ¥394

$48.64 ¥324

21.42%

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

$8.77 ¥58.5

$8.88 ¥59.2

-1.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥94.8

$11.43 ¥76.2

24.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥274

$41.01 ¥274

0.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$15.17 ¥101

64.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.62

$7.43 ¥49.56

0.13%

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

$654 ¥4,365

$564 ¥3,761

16.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.2K

$35.6K ¥237.4K

-32.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥475

$33.06 ¥220

115.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥267

$42.37 ¥283

-5.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥588

$83.2 ¥555

6.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥844

$108 ¥722

16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,302

$299 ¥1,994

215.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,491

$185 ¥1,236

182.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$640 ¥4,267

269.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,482

$380 ¥2,537

194.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥81.8K

$3,418 ¥22.8K

258.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.0K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

225.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.5

-10.86%

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

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

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Taizhou

$185 23.9% 64.6% $338

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Taizhou

$223 28.9% 2.2% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Taizhou

$120 15.5% 18.1% $27

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 8.5% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Taizhou

$69 8.9% 16% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Taizhou

$56 7.2% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Taizhou

$22 2.9% 45.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $299 in Taizhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $26 in Taizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $223 – making Taizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

615,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Beijing (Pekin) Taizhou 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,162 in Taizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taizhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $299 there versus $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $26 in Taizhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Taizhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Taizhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Taizhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 53% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.