Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Yinchuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yinchuan: $724 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Yinchuan
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Yinchuan Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Yinchuan

🇨🇳 China

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $724 in Yinchuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Yinchuan $724

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,170 in Yinchuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Yinchuan $1,170

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,615 in Yinchuan, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Yinchuan $1,615

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 64% more than Yinchuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Yinchuan are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Yinchuan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$1.82 ¥12.16

148.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$25.95 ¥174

16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.88 ¥32.61

9.84%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$2.71 ¥18.15

31.73%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.58 ¥3.85

-12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.36 ¥2.40

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.17 ¥7.85

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.10 ¥14.06

-18.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.80 ¥12.05

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.64 ¥10.93

7.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.94 ¥6.27

37.23%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.62 ¥10.80

20.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$13.44 ¥89.9

6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$3.32 ¥22.22

-0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$11.01 ¥73.6

0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$1.83 ¥12.21

15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.31 ¥8.78

32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.54 ¥10.30

35.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.30 ¥8.69

18.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.69 ¥4.60

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$0.95 ¥6.36

-4.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.64 ¥4.28

17.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.60 ¥3.98

1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$3.83 ¥25.63

11.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$11.74 ¥78.5

18.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.88 ¥5.86

15.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.61 ¥10.73

12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.29 ¥1.91

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$18.23 ¥122

91.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.52 ¥10.18

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.36 ¥2.38

-2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$7.31 ¥48.87

-0.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.26 ¥8.44

5.56%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$19.6K ¥130.8K

0.34%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$17.5K ¥117.3K

2.85%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$57.8 ¥387

2.16%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$8.83 ¥59.0

-0.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.26 ¥75.3

26.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$41.37 ¥277

-0.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$14.79 ¥98.9

68.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$6.21 ¥41.55

19.81%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$426 ¥2,851

53.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

35.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$43.84 ¥293

62.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$33.30 ¥223

20.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$75.1 ¥502

17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$73.5 ¥492

72.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$298 ¥1,994

216.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$184 ¥1,230

184.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$633 ¥4,233

273.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$378 ¥2,526

196.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$3,474 ¥23.2K

252.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$1,944 ¥13.0K

231.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.36

-7.14%

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

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

Last update for Yinchuan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Yinchuan

$184 25.4% 64.8% $339

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Yinchuan

$209 28.9% 8.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Yinchuan

$102 14% 30.7% $45

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Yinchuan

$76 10.4% 29.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Yinchuan

$78 10.8% 5.1% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Yinchuan

$54 7.4% 3.8% $2.1

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Yinchuan

$23 3.1% 45.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $298 in Yinchuan. 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 $26.00 in Yinchuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $209 – making Yinchuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Yinchuan

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

2,859,074

💱 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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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 Yinchuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 64%, 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 $1,087 in Yinchuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yinchuan, 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 $26.00 in Yinchuan. 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 $724 in Yinchuan. That's a gap of about 64%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yinchuan, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Yinchuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yinchuan – 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 Yinchuan. 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.