Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changde and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Changde: $650 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Changde
Learn more

Changde Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
Learn more

Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

Jump to prices

Changde

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Changde and in Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $650 per month in Changde vs $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Changde $650
Beijing (Pekin) $1,184

A couple spends around $1,126 per month in Changde vs $1,916 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Changde $1,126
Beijing (Pekin) $1,916

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Changde vs $2,647 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Changde $1,602
Beijing (Pekin) $2,647

Changde is about 45% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Changde and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Changde 52% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.70

$4.47 ¥29.86

-50.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.66 ¥118

$29.66 ¥198

-40.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ¥33.67

$5.21 ¥34.80

-3.26%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥15.81

$3.72 ¥24.86

-36.29%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.50 ¥3.34

-12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.26 ¥1.73

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.85

$1.17 ¥7.84

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.26

$1.66 ¥11.07

19.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$1.65 ¥11.05

-10.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 ¥15.30

$1.76 ¥11.74

30.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.27 ¥8.51

-31.50%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.58

$1.88 ¥12.55

-7.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 ¥86.0

$14.65 ¥98.0

-12.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 ¥27.16

$3.15 ¥21.03

28.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 ¥76.6

$11.03 ¥73.8

3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.82

$2.02 ¥13.53

-19.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.72 ¥11.47

-29.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.36

$2.08 ¥13.94

-47.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$1.55 ¥10.35

-43.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.72 ¥4.82

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.94

$0.85 ¥5.68

-12.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.69 ¥4.60

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.48

$0.61 ¥4.10

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.28

$4.32 ¥28.88

-29.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ¥85.2

$14.10 ¥94.3

-9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.91

$1.01 ¥6.76

1.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$1.82 ¥12.17

-59.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.70 ¥4.67

-58.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.85 ¥119

$34.48 ¥231

-48.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$1.92 ¥12.84

-38.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.33 ¥2.19

-6.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$7.67 ¥51.3

-43.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.72

$1.34 ¥8.93

-2.99%

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

$19.1K ¥127.5K

$19.3K ¥128.9K

-1.12%

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

$17.9K ¥120.0K

$18.3K ¥122.3K

-1.91%

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

$55.6 ¥372

$57.3 ¥383

-3.05%

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

$9.17 ¥61.3

$9.13 ¥61.0

0.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.23 ¥75.1

$14.22 ¥95.1

-21.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.44 ¥284

$42.34 ¥283

0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$24.61 ¥165

-40.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.86

$7.40 ¥49.48

-21.49%

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

$328 ¥2,191

$660 ¥4,410

-50.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.5K

$24.2K ¥161.9K

-31.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 ¥568

$69.8 ¥467

21.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 ¥233

$39.69 ¥265

-12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 ¥595

$88.9 ¥594

0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.6 ¥398

$127 ¥849

-53.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 ¥886

$940 ¥6,286

-85.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.4 ¥638

$524 ¥3,501

-81.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 ¥4,127

$2,319 ¥15.5K

-73.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥2,492

$1,128 ¥7,542

-66.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 ¥26.4K

$12.4K ¥82.8K

-68.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 ¥13.2K

$6,284 ¥42.0K

-68.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$745 ¥4,980

$1,713 ¥11.5K

-56.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.12

10.90%

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

Last update for Changde: October 12, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changde

$209 32.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2% 8.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Changde

$121 18.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4% 21.2% $26

Accommodation & Living

Changde

$95 14.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2% 449% $428

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changde

$76 11.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8% 6.2% $4.7

Eating Out

Changde

$74 11.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 46.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Changde

$54 8.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8% 5.7% $3.1

Getting Around

Changde

$22 3.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 87.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $132 in Changde versus $940 in Beijing (Pekin). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 130% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Changde versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $227 – making Changde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changde

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

Same time as Changde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,717,200

21,893,095 Capital

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Changde Beijing (Pekin) 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Changde
Beijing (Pekin)

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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $975 per month in Changde and $1,775 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changde, 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 $18.00 in Changde and $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $650 in Changde and $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 82%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Changde, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Changde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changde – 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 Changde. 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.