Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $920 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
58

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

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$920

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $920 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $920
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $1,433 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $1,945 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,945
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Guangzhou (Canton) is about 22% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Guangzhou (Canton) and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.12

$4.53 ¥30.31

-33.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.68 ¥198

$30.16 ¥202

-1.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 ¥35.66

$5.36 ¥35.83

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$3.05 ¥20.39

$3.57 ¥23.84

-14.57%

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

$0.58 ¥3.87

$0.51 ¥3.39

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.43

$0.28 ¥1.89

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$1.19 ¥7.94

15.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ¥18.27

$1.71 ¥11.43

59.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$1.74 ¥11.66

2.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ¥12.72

$1.77 ¥11.82

7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.71

$1.29 ¥8.61

-10.85%

Eggs

$1.50 ¥10.06

$1.95 ¥13.01

-23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.69 ¥112

$14.29 ¥95.5

16.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 ¥33.72

$3.31 ¥22.13

52.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.91 ¥79.7

$11.11 ¥74.3

7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.73

$2.12 ¥14.18

3.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$1.73 ¥11.56

-26.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.19

$2.09 ¥13.98

-34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.45

$1.54 ¥10.30

11.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$0.69 ¥4.64

36.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$0.91 ¥6.09

29.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.65

$0.75 ¥5.04

12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$0.61 ¥4.06

14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥25.57

$4.27 ¥28.52

-10.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 ¥70.9

$13.90 ¥93.0

-23.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$1.02 ¥6.80

0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.23

$1.81 ¥12.09

9.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.69 ¥4.65

-36.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.21 ¥149

$34.82 ¥233

-36.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$1.90 ¥12.73

-7.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.35 ¥2.36

25.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 ¥46.13

$7.28 ¥48.68

-5.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.84

$1.33 ¥8.87

-0.75%

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

$19.1K ¥127.6K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

-2.83%

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

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$18.0K ¥120.6K

-2.21%

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

$60.9 ¥407

$59.1 ¥395

3.05%

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

$15.89 ¥106

$8.77 ¥58.7

81.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.37 ¥96.1

$14.22 ¥95.1

1.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 ¥472

$41.06 ¥275

72.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.16 ¥81.3

$24.89 ¥166

-51.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 ¥43.84

$7.44 ¥49.74

-11.83%

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

$1,480 ¥9,893

$654 ¥4,375

126.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.4K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.38 ¥330

$71.2 ¥476

-30.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 ¥277

$40.02 ¥268

3.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 ¥555

$88.2 ¥590

-5.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 ¥471

$127 ¥846

-44.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 ¥3,588

$945 ¥6,317

-43.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,845

$523 ¥3,499

-47.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 ¥8,813

$2,362 ¥15.8K

-44.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 ¥3,190

$1,122 ¥7,500

-57.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,679 ¥58.0K

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-29.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,409 ¥22.8K

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-47.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,275 ¥8,527

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-25.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.12

8.33%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 20, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 89.7% $247

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$238 25.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 4.1% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$110 12%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 33.4% $37

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 16% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 9.9% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 33.2% $28

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 47.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $537 in Guangzhou (Canton) 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 35% 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $229 in Beijing (Pekin) – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

Same time as Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

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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Between locations

Guangzhou (Canton) Beijing (Pekin) 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guangzhou (Canton)
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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,380 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) 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 Guangzhou (Canton), 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 Guangzhou (Canton) 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 $920 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 29%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $920, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – 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 Guangzhou (Canton). 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.