Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Zhoukou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoukou: $753 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhoukou
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Zhoukou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Zhoukou

🇨🇳 China

$753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $753 in Zhoukou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Zhoukou $753

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,195 in Zhoukou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Zhoukou $1,195

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,636 in Zhoukou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Zhoukou $1,636

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 59% more than Zhoukou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$3.95 ¥26.30

11.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$22.27 ¥148

33.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$4.95 ¥32.97

8.48%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$3.33 ¥22.18

12.01%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.50 ¥3.33

12.00%

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

$1.03 ¥6.84

15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$2.20 ¥14.61

-21.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.42

$1.83 ¥12.17

-6.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.64 ¥10.89

7.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.93 ¥6.22

38.71%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.59 ¥10.55

20.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

$13.30 ¥88.5

10.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.32 ¥22.10

-3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$11.05 ¥73.5

1.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$1.89 ¥12.60

12.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.88

$1.34 ¥8.94

33.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$1.58 ¥10.50

29.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.47 ¥9.77

4.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.80 ¥5.35

-7.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.06 ¥7.06

-13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.58 ¥3.86

18.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.59 ¥3.96

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.57

$3.41 ¥22.68

30.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$11.45 ¥76.2

22.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.83 ¥5.52

24.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.76 ¥11.69

2.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.29 ¥1.92

103.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

$18.09 ¥120

79.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$1.56 ¥10.39

28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.36 ¥2.37

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

$6.17 ¥41.04

24.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.25 ¥8.34

4.00%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

8.10%

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

$17.9K ¥118.9K

0.79%

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

$58.8 ¥392

$56.7 ¥377

3.76%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$8.57 ¥57.0

1.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$12.55 ¥83.5

15.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$39.75 ¥265

17.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$16.34 ¥109

49.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$6.42 ¥42.70

18.38%

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

$985 ¥6,555

$447 ¥2,974

120.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.1K

$16.7K ¥111.0K

47.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$37.95 ¥253

89.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$31.56 ¥210

27.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$75.8 ¥504

14.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$83.5 ¥556

50.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$282 ¥1,876

231.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,523

$187 ¥1,248

182.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$670 ¥4,459

240.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,292

$359 ¥2,392

204.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$2,776 ¥18.5K

325.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$1,825 ¥12.1K

259.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

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 Zhoukou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Zhoukou

$187 24.9% 64.6% $342

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Zhoukou

$210 27.9% 8.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Zhoukou

$103 13.7% 29.6% $43

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Zhoukou

$100 13.2% 8.7% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Zhoukou

$78 10.3% 5.2% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Zhoukou

$53 7% 15.1% $9.3

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Zhoukou

$23 3% 41.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $282 in Zhoukou. 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 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $22 in Zhoukou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $210 – making Zhoukou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Zhoukou

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

8,953,172

💱 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) Zhoukou 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Zhoukou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 59%, 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 $1,130 in Zhoukou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhoukou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $22 in Zhoukou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin) and $753 in Zhoukou. That makes Zhoukou about 37% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Zhoukou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Zhoukou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.