Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Yantai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $629 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Yantai
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Yantai Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $629 in Yantai, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Yantai $629

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $926 in Yantai, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Yantai $926

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,223 in Yantai, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Yantai $1,223

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 88% more than Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Yantai are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Yantai 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$2.92 ¥19.55

53.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$18.14 ¥121

63.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$4.58 ¥30.65

13.76%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$2.81 ¥18.78

32.38%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.54 ¥3.58

-7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.32 ¥2.15

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.05 ¥7.01

11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.60 ¥17.39

-36.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.96 ¥13.11

-15.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.35 ¥9.01

30.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.83 ¥5.58

53.01%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.35 ¥9.02

39.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$16.32 ¥109

-10.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$3.28 ¥21.94

-3.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$6.89 ¥46.04

60.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$1.37 ¥9.19

47.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$0.89 ¥5.98

93.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.07 ¥7.16

94.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$0.74 ¥4.92

109.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.67 ¥4.49

7.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$0.78 ¥5.24

8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.58 ¥3.91

18.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.63 ¥4.19

-3.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$3.65 ¥24.39

18.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$11.68 ¥78.1

20.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.78 ¥5.25

29.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.03 ¥6.88

76.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.21 ¥1.40

233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.36 ¥9.11

41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.29 ¥1.92

13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$6.48 ¥43.30

18.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.23 ¥8.20

8.94%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

-0.08%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$16.4K ¥109.8K

11.45%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$44.64 ¥298

28.41%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$6.79 ¥45.37

34.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$6.09 ¥40.75

133.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$29.60 ¥198

43.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$7.43 ¥49.69

231.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$5.44 ¥36.37

36.03%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$363 ¥2,426

81.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

45.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$17.97 ¥120

288.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$22.78 ¥152

74.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$93.7 ¥626

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$90.2 ¥603

40.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$223 ¥1,490

321.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$151 ¥1,010

246.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$353 ¥2,358

557.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$147 ¥982

667.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$3,056 ¥20.4K

305.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$5,096 ¥34.1K

23.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

$1,063 ¥7,107

61.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.37

-7.42%

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

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

Last update for Yantai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Yantai

$151 24% 71.2% $373

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Yantai

$191 30.3% 15.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Yantai

$101 16.1% 30.9% $45

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Yantai

$85 13.5% 21.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Yantai

$58 9.1% 28.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Yantai

$40 6.4% 29.2% $17

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Yantai

$3.6 * 0.6% 91.1% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $223 in Yantai. 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 61% 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 Yantai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $191 – making Yantai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,871,000

💱 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) Yantai 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 88%, 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 $944 in Yantai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 19% more in Beijing (Pekin), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yantai, where all-in costs run around $629, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Yantai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yantai – 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 Yantai. 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.