Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Zhanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $728 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 Zhanjiang
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Zhanjiang Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $728 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Zhanjiang $728

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,169 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Zhanjiang $1,169

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,610 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Zhanjiang $1,610

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 63% more than Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Zhanjiang are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Zhanjiang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$2.98 ¥19.91

52.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$22.43 ¥150

34.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.12 ¥34.22

4.69%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$2.70 ¥18.02

32.22%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.47 ¥3.15

8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.31 ¥2.10

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.11 ¥7.40

7.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.14 ¥14.31

-20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.87 ¥12.48

-6.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.64 ¥10.98

7.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.94 ¥6.30

37.23%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$1.67 ¥11.19

16.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$13.16 ¥88.0

8.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$3.41 ¥22.80

-2.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$1.84 ¥12.32

15.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.33 ¥8.90

30.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.55 ¥10.37

34.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.30 ¥8.71

18.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.73 ¥4.91

-5.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$0.95 ¥6.34

-4.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.62 ¥4.15

20.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.58 ¥3.90

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$3.73 ¥24.93

14.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$11.56 ¥77.3

20.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.86 ¥5.75

18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.60 ¥10.67

13.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.31 ¥2.08

122.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$18.08 ¥121

92.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.51 ¥10.12

25.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.35 ¥2.35

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$6.97 ¥46.60

4.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.26 ¥8.41

5.56%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

-0.12%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

1.92%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$57.6 ¥385

2.62%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$8.77 ¥58.6

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.05 ¥73.9

28.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$14.96 ¥100

66.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$6.17 ¥41.25

20.58%

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

$654 ¥4,375

$417 ¥2,791

56.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$17.7K ¥118.2K

35.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$43.48 ¥291

63.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$33.31 ¥223

20.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$73.6 ¥492

19.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$74.1 ¥495

70.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$303 ¥2,027

211.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$180 ¥1,200

191.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$635 ¥4,246

271.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$371 ¥2,479

202.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$3,507 ¥23.5K

249.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$1,978 ¥13.2K

225.90%

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 Zhanjiang: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Zhanjiang

$180 24.7% 65.7% $344

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Zhanjiang

$210 28.8% 8.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Zhanjiang

$101 13.9% 31.1% $46

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.6% 21.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Zhanjiang

$77 10.6% 5.7% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Zhanjiang

$53 7.3% 4.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Zhanjiang

$23 3.1% 45.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $303 in Zhanjiang. 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 Zhanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $210 – making Zhanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,612,000

💱 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) Zhanjiang 2,150 km ≈ 3 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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 63%, 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 $1,092 in Zhanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhanjiang, 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 Zhanjiang. 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 $728 in Zhanjiang. That's a gap of about 63%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhanjiang, where all-in costs run around $728, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Zhanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhanjiang – 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 Zhanjiang. 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.