Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chongqing and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $722 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
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Chongqing Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chongqing 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 Chongqing and in Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $722 per month in Chongqing vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Chongqing $722
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $1,175 per month in Chongqing vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Chongqing $1,175
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Chongqing vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Chongqing $1,629
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Chongqing is about 39% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chongqing and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Chongqing 47% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.62

$4.53 ¥30.31

-41.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.26 ¥149

$30.16 ¥202

-26.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥32.27

$5.36 ¥35.83

-9.89%

Cappuccino

$2.07 ¥13.81

$3.57 ¥23.84

-42.02%

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

$0.46 ¥3.11

$0.51 ¥3.39

-9.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.28 ¥1.89

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$1.19 ¥7.94

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ¥11.84

$1.71 ¥11.43

3.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$1.74 ¥11.66

15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$1.77 ¥11.82

-6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$1.29 ¥8.61

-52.71%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥15.04

$1.95 ¥13.01

15.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.76 ¥119

$14.29 ¥95.5

24.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.11

$3.31 ¥22.13

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 ¥67.1

$11.11 ¥74.3

-9.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ¥10.00

$2.12 ¥14.18

-29.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$1.73 ¥11.56

-26.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$2.09 ¥13.98

-41.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.54 ¥10.30

-21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.69 ¥4.64

-11.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$0.91 ¥6.09

12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ¥6.02

$0.75 ¥5.04

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.61 ¥4.06

1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.32

$4.27 ¥28.52

-28.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.98 ¥60.1

$13.90 ¥93.0

-35.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$1.02 ¥6.80

-25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$1.81 ¥12.09

-4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.69 ¥4.65

-47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.52 ¥151

$34.82 ¥233

-35.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$1.90 ¥12.73

-23.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.35 ¥2.36

-11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ¥19.46

$7.28 ¥48.68

-60.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.33 ¥8.87

-0.75%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

-1.09%

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

$17.2K ¥115.0K

$18.0K ¥120.6K

-4.67%

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

$45.07 ¥301

$59.1 ¥395

-23.69%

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

$7.26 ¥48.52

$8.77 ¥58.7

-17.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.19 ¥48.09

$14.22 ¥95.1

-49.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 ¥331

$41.06 ¥275

20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.40 ¥69.6

$24.89 ¥166

-58.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 ¥39.81

$7.44 ¥49.74

-20.03%

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

$289 ¥1,929

$654 ¥4,375

-55.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K ¥167.8K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

4.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.99 ¥267

$71.2 ¥476

-43.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.64 ¥198

$40.02 ¥268

-25.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ¥441

$88.2 ¥590

-25.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 ¥430

$127 ¥846

-49.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 ¥2,851

$945 ¥6,317

-54.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,313

$523 ¥3,499

-62.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 ¥5,977

$2,362 ¥15.8K

-62.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 ¥2,823

$1,122 ¥7,500

-62.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,741 ¥18.3K

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-77.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,741 ¥11.6K

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-72.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 ¥7,371

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-35.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

3.12

7.05%

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

Last update for Chongqing: October 17, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chongqing

$214 29.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 6.7% $14

Accommodation & Living

Chongqing

$196 27.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 166% $327

Clothing & Footwear

Chongqing

$90 12.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 63% $57

Eating Out

Chongqing

$73 10.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 47.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Chongqing

$61 8.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 8.9% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chongqing

$60 8.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 37.9% $23

Getting Around

Chongqing

$27 3.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 53.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Chongqing versus $945 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 56% 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 $22.00 in Chongqing versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $229 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

Same time as Chongqing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,564,449

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

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Chongqing Beijing (Pekin) 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Chongqing
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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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,082 per month in Chongqing and $1,778 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chongqing, 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 $22.00 in Chongqing 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 $722 in Chongqing and $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 64%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – 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 Chongqing. 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.