Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guilin and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $659 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index
58

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

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Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$659

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $659 per month in Guilin vs $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Guilin $659
Beijing (Pekin) $1,184

A couple spends around $1,058 per month in Guilin vs $1,916 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Guilin $1,058
Beijing (Pekin) $1,916

A family of three spends $1,457 per month in Guilin vs $2,647 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Guilin $1,457
Beijing (Pekin) $2,647

Guilin is about 44% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Guilin and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Guilin 51% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.22 ¥14.85

$4.47 ¥29.86

-50.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.16 ¥101

$29.66 ¥198

-48.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 ¥20.39

$5.21 ¥34.80

-41.46%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ¥14.32

$3.72 ¥24.86

-42.47%

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

$0.42 ¥2.81

$0.50 ¥3.34

-16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.26 ¥1.73

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$1.17 ¥7.84

-30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.33

$1.66 ¥11.07

28.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.77

$1.65 ¥11.05

-11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.76 ¥11.74

-28.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.27 ¥8.51

-51.18%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥12.26

$1.88 ¥12.55

-2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.6

$14.65 ¥98.0

-9.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ¥22.86

$3.15 ¥21.03

8.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$11.03 ¥73.8

1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$2.02 ¥13.53

-27.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.72 ¥11.47

-31.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$2.08 ¥13.94

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$1.55 ¥10.35

-39.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$0.72 ¥4.82

1.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$0.85 ¥5.68

3.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.91

$0.61 ¥4.10

-29.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.10

$4.32 ¥28.88

-13.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$14.10 ¥94.3

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.63

$1.01 ¥6.76

-16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$1.82 ¥12.17

-20.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.70 ¥4.67

-58.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.97 ¥120

$34.48 ¥231

-47.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$1.92 ¥12.84

-31.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.33 ¥2.19

-12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 ¥52.1

$7.67 ¥51.3

1.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$1.34 ¥8.93

-9.70%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$19.3K ¥128.9K

-0.29%

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

$17.4K ¥116.4K

$18.3K ¥122.3K

-4.81%

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

$24.59 ¥164

$57.3 ¥383

-57.10%

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

$4.89 ¥32.69

$9.13 ¥61.0

-46.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$14.22 ¥95.1

-19.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.59 ¥278

$42.34 ¥283

-1.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$24.61 ¥165

-40.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 ¥35.63

$7.40 ¥49.48

-27.97%

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

$407 ¥2,719

$660 ¥4,410

-38.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ¥105.5K

$24.2K ¥161.9K

-34.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.52 ¥291

$69.8 ¥467

-37.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 ¥212

$39.69 ¥265

-20.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 ¥503

$88.9 ¥594

-15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 ¥496

$127 ¥849

-41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,967

$940 ¥6,286

-68.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,226

$524 ¥3,501

-64.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,173

$2,319 ¥15.5K

-73.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,486

$1,128 ¥7,542

-67.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,334 ¥8,916

$12.4K ¥82.8K

-89.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$6,284 ¥42.0K

-68.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 ¥3,322

$1,713 ¥11.5K

-71.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.12

7.69%

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

Last update for Guilin: October 11, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guilin

$196 29.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2% 15.7% $31

Accommodation & Living

Guilin

$183 27.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2% 186% $340

Clothing & Footwear

Guilin

$101 15.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4% 44.9% $45

Eating Out

Guilin

$64 9.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 69.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Guilin

$52 7.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8% 9.4% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guilin

$41 6.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8% 96.9% $40

Getting Around

Guilin

$22 3.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 86.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Guilin 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 245% 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 $15.00 in Guilin versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $227 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guilin

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Guilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,931,137

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

Guilin Beijing (Pekin) 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guilin
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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $989 per month in Guilin 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 Guilin, 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 $15.00 in Guilin 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 $659 in Guilin and $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 80%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guilin, where all-in costs run around $659, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Guilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guilin – 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 Guilin. 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.