Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Yancheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Yancheng: $668 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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 Yancheng
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Yancheng Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Yancheng

🇨🇳 China

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $668 in Yancheng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Yancheng $668

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,126 in Yancheng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Yancheng $1,126

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,584 in Yancheng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Yancheng $1,584

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 77% more than Yancheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Yancheng are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Yancheng 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$1.98 ¥13.25

125.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$23.75 ¥159

24.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$2.99 ¥19.98

74.25%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$3.14 ¥21.01

18.47%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.39 ¥2.59

28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.21 ¥1.40

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.47 ¥9.82

-20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$3.04 ¥20.31

-45.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.81 ¥12.12

-8.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$2.15 ¥14.36

-18.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.11 ¥7.42

14.41%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.86 ¥12.41

1.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$13.40 ¥89.6

9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$3.45 ¥23.06

-8.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$11.07 ¥74.0

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$2.65 ¥17.72

-23.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.33 ¥8.86

29.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.61 ¥10.76

29.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.17 ¥7.82

32.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.64 ¥4.31

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$0.80 ¥5.35

6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.64 ¥4.28

7.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.59 ¥3.93

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$5.37 ¥35.87

-19.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$11.89 ¥79.5

18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.93 ¥6.21

8.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$2.23 ¥14.88

-18.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.26 ¥1.74

169.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$15.56 ¥104

121.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.52 ¥10.16

26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.42 ¥2.83

-21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$9.11 ¥60.9

-15.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.30 ¥8.72

3.08%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

-0.80%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$19.2K ¥128.7K

-4.95%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$37.24 ¥249

53.92%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$11.70 ¥78.2

-21.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.30 ¥75.5

25.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$39.38 ¥263

7.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$14.34 ¥95.9

71.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$6.07 ¥40.60

21.91%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$445 ¥2,978

48.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$16.1K ¥107.9K

50.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$34.66 ¥232

101.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$21.51 ¥144

84.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$63.3 ¥423

40.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$44.95 ¥301

182.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$294 ¥1,968

219.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$162 ¥1,084

222.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$680 ¥4,548

240.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$407 ¥2,724

176.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$3,545 ¥23.7K

249.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$1,962 ¥13.1K

220.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.13

-0.32%

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

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

Last update for Yancheng: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Yancheng

$162 24.3% 69% $361

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Yancheng

$222 33.2% 2.3% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Yancheng

$74 11.1% 49.5% $72

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Yancheng

$78 11.7% 27.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Yancheng

$60 9% 25.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Yancheng

$52 7.7% 9.8% $5.6

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Yancheng

$20 3% 50.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $294 in Yancheng. 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 $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $24.00 in Yancheng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $222 – making Yancheng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Yancheng

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

7,260,240

💱 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) Yancheng 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Yancheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 77%, 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 $1,002 in Yancheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yancheng, 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 Yancheng. 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 $668 in Yancheng. That's a gap of about 77%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Yancheng, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Yancheng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yancheng – 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 Yancheng. 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.