Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $550 in Yiwu, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Yiwu $550

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,299 in Yiwu, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Yiwu $1,299

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,048 in Yiwu, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Yiwu $2,048

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 118% more than Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Yiwu are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Yiwu 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$2.88 ¥19.15

53.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$29.56 ¥197

0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$5.27 ¥35.06

1.90%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$3.41 ¥22.70

9.38%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.58 ¥3.85

-3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.38 ¥2.53

-23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$1.23 ¥8.20

-3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.30 ¥15.28

-24.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.43

$1.78 ¥11.82

-3.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.94 ¥12.91

-8.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$1.03 ¥6.87

25.24%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.69 ¥11.27

13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$16.96 ¥113

-13.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.31 ¥22.04

-2.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$12.92 ¥86.0

-13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$2.15 ¥14.33

-0.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.89

$1.73 ¥11.48

3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$2.03 ¥13.49

0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.69 ¥11.27

-9.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.82 ¥5.45

-9.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.92 ¥6.09

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.64 ¥4.26

7.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.59 ¥3.91

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.58

$3.84 ¥25.52

15.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$10.77 ¥71.7

29.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.88 ¥5.89

17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.55 ¥10.32

16.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.90

$0.46 ¥3.06

28.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥217

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.39 ¥9.23

43.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.47 ¥3.10

-29.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$8.98 ¥59.8

-14.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.27 ¥8.47

2.36%

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$19.8K ¥132.1K

-0.54%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

-1.37%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$57.7 ¥384

2.01%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$7.89 ¥52.5

10.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$10.44 ¥69.5

38.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$15.16 ¥101

208.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$11.35 ¥75.5

115.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$7.09 ¥47.19

7.19%

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

$985 ¥6,556

$1,606 ¥10.7K

-38.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.2K

$28.1K ¥186.9K

-12.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$55.7 ¥371

29.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$37.90 ¥252

6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥578

$76.5 ¥509

13.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$74.5 ¥496

69.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$456 ¥3,035

104.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,524

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$1,055 ¥7,024

115.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,293

$759 ¥5,051

44.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$11.9K ¥79.1K

-0.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$2,935 ¥19.5K

123.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$757 ¥5,035

125.62%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Yiwu

$235 42.7% 2.3% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Yiwu

$110 20% 24.8% $36

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Yiwu

$94 17.2% 13.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 7.4% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 52.6% $33

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Yiwu

$5.6 * 1% 85.6% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $456 in Yiwu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Beijing (Pekin) are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $30 in Yiwu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $235 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,234,015

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Beijing (Pekin) Yiwu 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,796 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $825 in Yiwu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yiwu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $456 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin) and $550 in Yiwu. That makes Yiwu about 54% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $985 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,606 in Yiwu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

If budget matters most, go with Yiwu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.