Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shaoxing and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index
58

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

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Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $751 per month in Shaoxing vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Shaoxing $751
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Shaoxing vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Shaoxing $1,204
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $1,657 per month in Shaoxing vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Shaoxing $1,657
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Shaoxing is about 37% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Shaoxing and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Shaoxing 45% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 ¥24.86

$4.53 ¥30.31

-17.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.22 ¥149

$30.16 ¥202

-26.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.52

$5.36 ¥35.83

-0.93%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ¥17.24

$3.57 ¥23.84

-27.73%

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

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.51 ¥3.39

21.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.28 ¥1.89

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$1.19 ¥7.94

-3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.67

$1.71 ¥11.43

28.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.00

$1.74 ¥11.66

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.77 ¥11.82

10.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$1.29 ¥8.61

-41.86%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.58

$1.95 ¥13.01

-11.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 ¥78.0

$14.29 ¥95.5

-18.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.10

$3.31 ¥22.13

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 ¥70.8

$11.11 ¥74.3

-4.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.93

$2.12 ¥14.18

-16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.73 ¥11.56

-0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.49

$2.09 ¥13.98

-17.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$1.54 ¥10.30

-29.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$0.69 ¥4.64

20.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$0.91 ¥6.09

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.37

$0.75 ¥5.04

-13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.61 ¥4.06

-4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥22.97

$4.27 ¥28.52

-19.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 ¥71.0

$13.90 ¥93.0

-23.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.14

$1.02 ¥6.80

-24.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.81 ¥12.09

-10.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ¥1.54

$0.69 ¥4.65

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.86 ¥133

$34.82 ¥233

-42.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 ¥13.28

$1.90 ¥12.73

4.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.35 ¥2.36

22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 ¥60.5

$7.28 ¥48.68

24.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.33 ¥8.87

0.75%

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

$19.5K ¥130.1K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

-0.89%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

0.04%

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

$47.33 ¥316

$59.1 ¥395

-19.86%

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

$7.90 ¥52.8

$8.77 ¥58.7

-9.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.14 ¥61.1

$14.22 ¥95.1

-35.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.57 ¥104

$41.06 ¥275

-62.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.79 ¥45.43

$24.89 ¥166

-72.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥45.62

$7.44 ¥49.74

-8.33%

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

$844 ¥5,643

$654 ¥4,375

28.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K ¥166.7K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

3.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.55 ¥271

$71.2 ¥476

-43.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.99 ¥214

$40.02 ¥268

-20.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 ¥514

$88.2 ¥590

-12.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥710

$127 ¥846

-16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ¥2,904

$945 ¥6,317

-54.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 ¥1,487

$523 ¥3,499

-57.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,986

$2,362 ¥15.8K

-74.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥3,008

$1,122 ¥7,500

-59.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,407 ¥42.8K

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-47.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,558 ¥23.8K

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-44.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$901 ¥6,024

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-47.48%

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 Shaoxing: October 18, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shaoxing

$222 29.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 135% $301

Groceries & Markets

Shaoxing

$205 27.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 11.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Shaoxing

$115 15.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 27.6% $32

Eating Out

Shaoxing

$91 12.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 18.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shaoxing

$64 8.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 27.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shaoxing

$29 3.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 91.4% $27

Getting Around

Shaoxing

$25 3.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 65.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Shaoxing 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 90% 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 Shaoxing versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $229 – making Shaoxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

Same time as Shaoxing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912,239

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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Shaoxing Beijing (Pekin) 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,127 per month in Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing, 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 Shaoxing 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 $751 in Shaoxing and $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 58%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shaoxing, where all-in costs run around $751, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Shaoxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shaoxing – 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 Shaoxing. 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.