Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Zhucheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhucheng: $715 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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 Zhucheng
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Zhucheng Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Zhucheng

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $715 in Zhucheng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,184
Zhucheng $715

A couple spends around $1,916 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,135 in Zhucheng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,916
Zhucheng $1,135

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,555 in Zhucheng, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,647
Zhucheng $1,555

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 65% more than Zhucheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Zhucheng are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Zhucheng 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ¥29.86

$2.71 ¥18.12

64.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥198

$21.54 ¥144

37.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ¥34.80

$4.74 ¥31.70

9.92%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ¥24.86

$2.94 ¥19.64

26.53%

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

$0.50 ¥3.34

$0.46 ¥3.10

8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.27 ¥1.78

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$0.95 ¥6.34

23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.10 ¥14.07

-20.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ¥11.05

$1.88 ¥12.56

-12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$1.61 ¥10.77

9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$0.89 ¥5.96

42.70%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥12.55

$1.55 ¥10.39

21.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$13.08 ¥87.5

12.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$3.22 ¥21.56

-2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$10.26 ¥68.6

7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$1.80 ¥12.07

12.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.21 ¥8.08

42.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 ¥13.94

$1.52 ¥10.19

36.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.15 ¥7.67

34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.70 ¥4.71

2.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.68

$0.96 ¥6.44

-11.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.57 ¥3.79

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$0.54 ¥3.63

12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 ¥28.88

$3.10 ¥20.73

39.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$10.63 ¥71.1

32.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.79 ¥5.29

27.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.66 ¥11.09

9.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ¥4.67

$0.29 ¥1.95

141.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.48 ¥231

$16.80 ¥112

105.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.42 ¥9.50

35.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.36 ¥2.38

-8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$6.56 ¥43.84

16.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.12 ¥7.51

19.64%

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

$19.3K ¥128.9K

$19.3K ¥129.2K

-0.24%

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

$18.3K ¥122.3K

$17.5K ¥116.8K

4.72%

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

$57.3 ¥383

$44.24 ¥296

29.57%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$9.82 ¥65.7

-7.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$11.80 ¥78.9

20.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 ¥283

$41.73 ¥279

1.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.61 ¥165

$14.06 ¥94.0

75.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 ¥49.48

$6.08 ¥40.68

21.71%

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

$660 ¥4,410

$331 ¥2,215

99.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

46.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ¥467

$42.96 ¥287

62.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ¥265

$30.45 ¥204

30.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ¥594

$70.7 ¥473

25.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥849

$70.8 ¥473

79.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ¥6,286

$277 ¥1,854

239.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,501

$195 ¥1,301

169.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,319 ¥15.5K

$598 ¥3,997

288.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 ¥7,542

$366 ¥2,450

207.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K ¥82.8K

$3,041 ¥20.3K

307.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,284 ¥42.0K

$2,001 ¥13.4K

214.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.89

-19.79%

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

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

Last update for Zhucheng: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2%

Zhucheng

$195 27.2% 62.8% $329

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2%

Zhucheng

$200 28% 11.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4%

Zhucheng

$97 13.5% 33.9% $50

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Zhucheng

$83 11.6% 23.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8%

Zhucheng

$66 9.2% 18.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8%

Zhucheng

$54 7.5% 5.7% $3.2

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Zhucheng

$21 3% 48.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $277 in Zhucheng. 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 Zhucheng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $200 – making Zhucheng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Zhucheng

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

1,086,222

💱 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) Zhucheng 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 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 Zhucheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 65%, 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 $1,073 in Zhucheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhucheng, 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 Zhucheng. 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 $715 in Zhucheng. That's a gap of about 65%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zhucheng, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Zhucheng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zhucheng. 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.