Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $861 a month against $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index
58

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

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Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$861

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $861 per month in Suzhou vs $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Suzhou $861
Beijing (Pekin) $1,184

A couple spends around $1,479 per month in Suzhou vs $1,916 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Suzhou $1,479
Beijing (Pekin) $1,916

A family of three spends $2,096 per month in Suzhou vs $2,647 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Suzhou $2,096
Beijing (Pekin) $2,647

Suzhou is about 27% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Suzhou and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Suzhou 36% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 ¥28.10

$4.47 ¥29.86

-6.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.41 ¥203

$29.66 ¥198

2.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 ¥35.47

$5.21 ¥34.80

1.73%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥22.38

$3.72 ¥24.86

-9.95%

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

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.50 ¥3.34

38.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 ¥2.77

$0.26 ¥1.73

57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 ¥14.68

$1.17 ¥7.84

88.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ¥30.09

$1.66 ¥11.07

171.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ¥13.04

$1.65 ¥11.05

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 ¥13.23

$1.76 ¥11.74

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.66

$1.27 ¥8.51

1.57%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.73

$1.88 ¥12.55

-6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.49 ¥117

$14.65 ¥98.0

19.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ¥23.35

$3.15 ¥21.03

10.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.44 ¥56.4

$11.03 ¥73.8

-23.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.59

$2.02 ¥13.53

0.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.72 ¥11.47

-28.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.98

$2.08 ¥13.94

-35.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ¥9.57

$1.55 ¥10.35

-7.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$0.72 ¥4.82

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.86

$0.85 ¥5.68

38.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.69 ¥4.60

18.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.61 ¥4.10

-1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 ¥30.69

$4.32 ¥28.88

6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 ¥58.5

$14.10 ¥94.3

-37.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.32

$1.01 ¥6.76

7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$1.82 ¥12.17

13.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.70 ¥4.67

-45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.71 ¥306

$34.48 ¥231

32.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$1.92 ¥12.84

-11.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.33 ¥2.19

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 ¥67.3

$7.67 ¥51.3

31.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.96

$1.34 ¥8.93

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$19.3K ¥128.9K

1.00%

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

$18.2K ¥121.9K

$18.3K ¥122.3K

-0.37%

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

$98.3 ¥658

$57.3 ¥383

71.56%

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

$12.97 ¥86.7

$9.13 ¥61.0

42.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.25 ¥75.3

$14.22 ¥95.1

-20.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.27 ¥222

$42.34 ¥283

-21.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.75 ¥125

$24.61 ¥165

-23.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.08

$7.40 ¥49.48

-19.05%

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

$1,250 ¥8,359

$660 ¥4,410

89.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ¥147.8K

$24.2K ¥161.9K

-8.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 ¥347

$69.8 ¥467

-25.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 ¥269

$39.69 ¥265

1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 ¥558

$88.9 ¥594

-6.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ¥573

$127 ¥849

-32.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ¥2,986

$940 ¥6,286

-52.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,285

$524 ¥3,501

-63.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 ¥7,125

$2,319 ¥15.5K

-54.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥4,055

$1,128 ¥7,542

-46.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,508 ¥36.8K

$12.4K ¥82.8K

-55.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,752 ¥18.4K

$6,284 ¥42.0K

-56.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,345 ¥8,995

$1,713 ¥11.5K

-21.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

3.12

13.14%

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

Last update for Suzhou: 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

Suzhou

$219 25.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$227 19.2% 3.7% $8.1

Accommodation & Living

Suzhou

$192 22.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$524 44.2% 172% $331

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suzhou

$123 14.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$81 6.8% 34.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Suzhou

$118 13.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.4% 24.5% $29

Eating Out

Suzhou

$114 13.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 5.2% $6

Getting Around

Suzhou

$51 5.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 19.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Suzhou

$45 5.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$57 4.8% 26.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $447 in Suzhou 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 27% 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 Suzhou versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $227 – making Suzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

Same time as Suzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,748,262

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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Suzhou Beijing (Pekin) 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Suzhou
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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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,292 per month in Suzhou 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 Suzhou, 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 Suzhou 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 $861 in Suzhou and $1,184 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 37%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Suzhou, where all-in costs run around $861, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,184. In Suzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suzhou – 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 Suzhou. 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.