Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
58

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

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Hefei vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Hefei $768
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $1,225 per month in Hefei vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Hefei $1,225
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $1,681 per month in Hefei vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Hefei $1,681
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Hefei is about 35% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hefei and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Hefei 43% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.28

$4.53 ¥30.31

-43.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.44 ¥150

$30.16 ¥202

-25.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$5.36 ¥35.83

-18.66%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ¥18.39

$3.57 ¥23.84

-22.97%

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

$0.49 ¥3.26

$0.51 ¥3.39

-3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.28 ¥1.89

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$1.19 ¥7.94

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥13.35

$1.71 ¥11.43

16.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.74 ¥11.66

-6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$1.77 ¥11.82

16.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$1.29 ¥8.61

-37.21%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥12.84

$1.95 ¥13.01

-1.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$14.29 ¥95.5

-1.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ¥32.76

$3.31 ¥22.13

48.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.3

$11.11 ¥74.3

4.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.45

$2.12 ¥14.18

8.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.73 ¥11.56

-0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$2.09 ¥13.98

-21.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.79

$1.54 ¥10.30

4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.37

$0.69 ¥4.64

15.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.91 ¥6.09

3.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$0.75 ¥5.04

5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.61 ¥4.06

14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ¥20.59

$4.27 ¥28.52

-27.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ¥81.3

$13.90 ¥93.0

-12.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.02 ¥6.80

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥13.28

$1.81 ¥12.09

9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.69 ¥4.65

-55.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.22 ¥302

$34.82 ¥233

29.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.90 ¥12.73

-35.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.35 ¥2.36

-5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ¥23.48

$7.28 ¥48.68

-51.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.91

$1.33 ¥8.87

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

-3.10%

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

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$18.0K ¥120.6K

-6.36%

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

$48.54 ¥325

$59.1 ¥395

-17.81%

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

$9.54 ¥63.8

$8.77 ¥58.7

8.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$14.22 ¥95.1

-15.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ¥105

$41.06 ¥275

-61.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 ¥102

$24.89 ¥166

-38.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.85

$7.44 ¥49.74

-13.84%

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

$236 ¥1,581

$654 ¥4,375

-63.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,656 ¥57.9K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

-63.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 ¥600

$71.2 ¥476

26.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ¥219

$40.02 ¥268

-18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.7 ¥419

$88.2 ¥590

-28.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 ¥648

$127 ¥846

-23.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥1,609

$945 ¥6,317

-74.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,197

$523 ¥3,499

-65.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ¥3,558

$2,362 ¥15.8K

-77.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,270

$1,122 ¥7,500

-69.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,573 ¥23.9K

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-70.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 ¥13.2K

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-69.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ¥6,763

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-41.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

3.12

0.96%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 19, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$235 30.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 2.5% $6

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$179 23.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 192% $344

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$127 16.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 15.6% $20

Eating Out

Hefei

$79 10.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 36.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 17% $12

Getting Around

Hefei

$49 6.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 16.4% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$28 3.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 96.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Hefei 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 70% 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 Hefei versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Hefei vs $229 in Beijing (Pekin) – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

Same time as Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

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

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Hefei Beijing (Pekin) 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,151 per month in Hefei 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 Hefei, 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 Hefei 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 $768 in Hefei and $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 54%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hefei, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Hefei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hefei – 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 Hefei. 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.