Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quanzhou and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Quanzhou: $809 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Quanzhou
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Quanzhou Living Index
57

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

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Quanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$809

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $809 per month in Quanzhou vs $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Quanzhou $809
Beijing (Pekin) $1,197

A couple spends around $1,193 per month in Quanzhou vs $1,913 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Quanzhou $1,193
Beijing (Pekin) $1,913

A family of three spends $1,578 per month in Quanzhou vs $2,630 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Quanzhou $1,578
Beijing (Pekin) $2,630

Quanzhou is about 32% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quanzhou and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Quanzhou 41% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.27 ¥15.14

$4.42 ¥29.39

-48.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.03 ¥200

$29.66 ¥197

1.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.54

$5.37 ¥35.76

-8.94%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ¥22.24

$3.73 ¥24.81

-10.46%

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

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.56 ¥3.71

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 ¥19.77

$1.19 ¥7.91

149.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.32

$1.73 ¥11.55

6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.12

$1.72 ¥11.43

-11.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 ¥5.56

$1.77 ¥11.80

-52.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.29 ¥8.62

-27.91%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.34

$1.91 ¥12.74

-18.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 ¥49.80

$14.70 ¥97.8

-49.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.16

$3.22 ¥21.46

-29.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.13 ¥34.15

$11.23 ¥74.7

-54.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$2.13 ¥14.15

-30.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.16

$1.79 ¥11.89

-48.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$2.05 ¥13.62

-62.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.23

$1.53 ¥10.19

-28.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.74 ¥4.89

-41.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$0.92 ¥6.15

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.17 ¥1.12

$0.69 ¥4.60

-75.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.43

$0.61 ¥4.04

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 ¥21.70

$4.44 ¥29.57

-26.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 ¥50.6

$14.00 ¥93.2

-45.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.03 ¥6.84

-10.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.80 ¥12.01

-26.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.59 ¥3.89

-47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.35 ¥162

$32.53 ¥216

-25.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$2.00 ¥13.33

-41.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ¥2.26

$0.33 ¥2.19

3.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ¥58.6

$7.68 ¥51.1

14.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$1.30 ¥8.64

-3.85%

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

$18.1K ¥120.4K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

-8.34%

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

$15.8K ¥105.1K

$18.0K ¥119.8K

-12.27%

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

$51.8 ¥345

$58.8 ¥392

-11.95%

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

$8.13 ¥54.1

$8.71 ¥58.0

-6.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.28 ¥81.7

$14.51 ¥96.6

-15.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 ¥372

$46.71 ¥311

19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.53 ¥123

$24.48 ¥163

-24.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ¥39.67

$7.60 ¥50.6

-21.58%

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

$522 ¥3,475

$985 ¥6,556

-46.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ¥79.2K

$24.5K ¥163.2K

-51.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.68 ¥138

$72.1 ¥480

-71.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.21 ¥221

$40.22 ¥268

-17.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 ¥605

$86.8 ¥577

4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 ¥639

$126 ¥839

-23.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ¥1,795

$933 ¥6,209

-71.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥1,998

$530 ¥3,524

-43.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ¥3,259

$2,279 ¥15.2K

-78.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ¥2,662

$1,096 ¥7,293

-63.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,041 ¥20.2K

$11.8K ¥78.6K

-74.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,972 ¥13.1K

$6,566 ¥43.7K

-69.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$827 ¥5,504

$1,707 ¥11.4K

-51.55%

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 Quanzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quanzhou

$300 37.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2% 76.3% $229

Groceries & Markets

Quanzhou

$137 16.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2% 67.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Quanzhou

$108 13.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2% 35% $38

Eating Out

Quanzhou

$95 11.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1% 15.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quanzhou

$72 8.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 13.6% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Quanzhou

$68 8.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2% 8.8% $6

Getting Around

Quanzhou

$28 3.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2% 35.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $270 in Quanzhou versus $933 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 in Beijing (Pekin) are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Quanzhou versus $30 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $230 – making Quanzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Quanzhou

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

Same time as Quanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,128,530

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Quanzhou Beijing (Pekin) 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Quanzhou
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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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,213 per month in Quanzhou and $1,796 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quanzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $270 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Public transport costs about 25% less in Quanzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Beijing (Pekin), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Quanzhou – 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 Quanzhou. 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.