Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Urumqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $605 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
Learn more

Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
Learn more

Urumqi Living Index

Jump to prices

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $605 in Urumqi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Urumqi $605

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $960 in Urumqi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Urumqi $960

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,316 in Urumqi, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Urumqi $1,316

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 96% more than Urumqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Urumqi are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Urumqi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$3.29 ¥21.98

37.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$18.16 ¥121

66.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.28 ¥35.30

1.52%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$2.87 ¥19.19

24.39%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.46 ¥3.08

10.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.24 ¥1.59

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.14 ¥7.63

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$1.77 ¥11.83

-3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.24 ¥8.26

40.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$0.93 ¥6.22

90.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.62 ¥4.12

108.06%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.54 ¥10.28

26.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$6.13 ¥40.96

133.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$2.49 ¥16.63

32.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$9.61 ¥64.3

15.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$2.04 ¥13.62

3.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.23 ¥8.22

40.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.86 ¥12.43

12.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$0.76 ¥5.11

102.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.54 ¥3.61

27.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$0.62 ¥4.17

46.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.50 ¥3.33

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.45 ¥3.00

35.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$2.93 ¥19.57

45.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$10.51 ¥70.3

32.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$1.09 ¥7.30

-6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.47 ¥9.84

23.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.29 ¥1.93

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$18.08 ¥121

92.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.47 ¥9.81

29.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.94

20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$7.30 ¥48.80

-0.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.23 ¥8.23

8.13%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$17.9K ¥119.5K

9.90%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$13.9K ¥93.2K

29.45%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$66.5 ¥444

-11.12%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$5.43 ¥36.33

61.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.29 ¥75.5

25.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$22.12 ¥148

85.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$9.40 ¥62.8

164.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$5.82 ¥38.90

27.84%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$161 ¥1,078

306.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$9,005 ¥60.2K

166.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$52.6 ¥351

35.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$22.05 ¥147

81.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$106 ¥712

-17.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$44.33 ¥296

185.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$261 ¥1,748

261.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$117 ¥784

346.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$405 ¥2,708

483.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$251 ¥1,678

346.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$1,834 ¥12.3K

568.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$1,159 ¥7,748

456.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$1,114 ¥7,449

53.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.39

-7.96%

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

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

Last update for Urumqi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Urumqi

$117 19.4% 77.6% $406

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Urumqi

$158 26.2% 30.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Urumqi

$101 16.8% 30.8% $45

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Urumqi

$89 14.7% 17.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Urumqi

$83 13.8% 1.4% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Urumqi

$34 5.6% 39.6% $22

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Urumqi

$22 3.7% 46.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $261 in Urumqi. 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 54% 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 $18.00 in Urumqi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $158 – making Urumqi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

2 h behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

4,054,369

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Urumqi 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
Urumqi

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 Urumqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $907 in Urumqi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Urumqi, 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 $18.00 in Urumqi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin) and $605 in Urumqi. That's a gap of about 96%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Urumqi, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Urumqi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Urumqi – 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 Urumqi. 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.