Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $740 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Zhangjiagang $740

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,149 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Zhangjiagang $1,149

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,558 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 60% more than Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Zhangjiagang are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Zhangjiagang 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$3.80 ¥25.42

17.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$22.20 ¥148

33.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$4.98 ¥33.31

4.62%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$3.04 ¥20.32

22.37%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.49 ¥3.29

2.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.27 ¥1.81

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.51 ¥10.09

-22.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.22 ¥14.84

-25.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$2.08 ¥13.89

-20.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$2.09 ¥13.95

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.84 ¥5.64

51.19%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.36 ¥9.09

38.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$10.64 ¥71.1

37.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$2.93 ¥19.59

7.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$9.12 ¥61.0

20.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$2.04 ¥13.65

-0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.29 ¥8.64

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.80 ¥12.03

15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.11 ¥7.39

39.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.90 ¥5.99

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$0.90 ¥6.03

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.87 ¥5.80

-20.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.53 ¥3.51

15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$3.64 ¥24.37

18.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$13.44 ¥89.9

4.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.94 ¥6.27

7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.56 ¥10.44

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.30 ¥1.99

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$17.58 ¥118

96.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.76 ¥11.78

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.39 ¥2.60

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$8.76 ¥58.6

-12.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.37 ¥9.14

-2.19%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

0.54%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

8.55%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$55.8 ¥373

2.82%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$7.76 ¥51.9

17.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$7.32 ¥48.97

94.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$36.15 ¥242

17.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$16.01 ¥107

53.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$6.07 ¥40.60

21.91%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$418 ¥2,793

57.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

8.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$42.99 ¥287

62.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$34.04 ¥228

16.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$65.7 ¥439

35.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$88.5 ¥591

43.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$280 ¥1,869

236.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$194 ¥1,295

170.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$719 ¥4,808

222.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$324 ¥2,167

247.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$3,266 ¥21.8K

279.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$1,685 ¥11.3K

272.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.42

-8.77%

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

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

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 63% $330

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 10.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 28.9% $42

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 10.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 12.2% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 15.5% $8.9

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 44.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. 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 $22.00 in Zhangjiagang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $204 – making Zhangjiagang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,432,044

💱 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) Zhangjiagang 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,110 in Zhangjiagang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhangjiagang, 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 $22.00 in Zhangjiagang. 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang. That's a gap of about 60%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiagang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Zhangjiagang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangjiagang – 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 Zhangjiagang. 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.