Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
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Zhangjiakou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $776 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Zhangjiakou $776

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,223 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Zhangjiakou $1,223

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,670 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Zhangjiakou $1,670

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 53% more than Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Zhangjiakou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Zhangjiakou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.19

$2.21 ¥14.73

104.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$24.26 ¥162

24.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.69

$5.91 ¥39.40

-9.31%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.75

$3.50 ¥23.32

2.00%

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

$0.51 ¥3.37

$0.50 ¥3.35

2.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.26 ¥1.72

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$0.92 ¥6.14

29.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.39

$1.69 ¥11.28

1.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.62

$1.48 ¥9.87

17.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.78

$2.21 ¥14.74

-19.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.58

$1.06 ¥7.07

21.70%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥12.96

$1.06 ¥7.04

83.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.2

$15.23 ¥101

-6.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.04

$2.98 ¥19.82

11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.0

$9.59 ¥63.9

15.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.13

$1.66 ¥11.03

27.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.52

$0.93 ¥6.16

86.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.92

$1.76 ¥11.70

18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.22 ¥8.10

26.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$0.81 ¥5.37

-14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$0.57 ¥3.80

59.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.02

$0.62 ¥4.13

20.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.74 ¥4.93

-17.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.42

$3.63 ¥24.18

17.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥92.6

$13.60 ¥90.6

2.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.77

$1.07 ¥7.10

-4.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.05

$2.43 ¥16.17

-25.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$0.29 ¥1.91

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥232

$17.61 ¥117

97.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$1.08 ¥7.19

75.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.33 ¥2.17

6.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.49

$6.21 ¥41.39

17.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$1.18 ¥7.84

12.71%

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

$19.6K ¥130.8K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

0.07%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

5.96%

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

$59.1 ¥393

$95.7 ¥637

-38.28%

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

$8.77 ¥58.4

$6.22 ¥41.43

41.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥94.7

$7.68 ¥51.1

85.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥274

$42.01 ¥280

-2.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$15.20 ¥101

63.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.55

$7.30 ¥48.60

1.92%

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

$654 ¥4,358

$342 ¥2,276

91.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥159.9K

$5,321 ¥35.4K

351.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥474

$44.73 ¥298

59.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥267

$28.35 ¥189

41.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥588

$96.5 ¥643

-8.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥843

$60.0 ¥400

110.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,293

$294 ¥1,955

221.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,486

$182 ¥1,214

187.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.7K

$622 ¥4,144

279.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,472

$379 ¥2,524

195.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥81.7K

$3,446 ¥22.9K

255.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥42.9K

$1,966 ¥13.1K

227.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.4K

$382 ¥2,545

348.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.54

-11.86%

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

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

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Zhangjiakou

$182 23.5% 65.2% $341

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Zhangjiakou

$214 27.6% 6.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Zhangjiakou

$103 13.3% 29.6% $43

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Zhangjiakou

$88 11.4% 17.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Zhangjiakou

$110 14.1% 33.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Zhangjiakou

$57 7.3% 1.2% $0.7

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Zhangjiakou

$21 2.8% 48% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $294 in Zhangjiakou. 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 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $24 in Zhangjiakou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $214 – making Zhangjiakou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

4,345,491

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 53%, 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 $1,164 in Zhangjiakou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhangjiakou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $294 there versus $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $24 in Zhangjiakou. 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 $776 in Zhangjiakou. That’s a gap of about 53%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiakou, where all-in costs run around $776, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Zhangjiakou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangjiakou – 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 Zhangjiakou. 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.