Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
Learn more

Xiamen Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
Learn more

Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

Jump to prices

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $832 per month in Xiamen vs $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Xiamen $832
Beijing (Pekin) $1,197

A couple spends around $1,337 per month in Xiamen vs $1,913 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Xiamen $1,337
Beijing (Pekin) $1,913

A family of three spends $1,842 per month in Xiamen vs $2,630 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Xiamen $1,842
Beijing (Pekin) $2,630

Xiamen is about 30% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Xiamen and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Xiamen 39% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.49

$4.42 ¥29.33

-33.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$29.66 ¥197

-20.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.52

$5.37 ¥35.69

-3.17%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.06

$3.73 ¥24.76

-31.10%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.56 ¥3.70

-16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.29 ¥1.94

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$1.19 ¥7.90

26.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.57

$1.73 ¥11.52

70.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.72 ¥11.40

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$1.77 ¥11.77

28.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$1.29 ¥8.60

-26.36%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.87

$1.91 ¥12.72

-14.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.8

$14.70 ¥97.6

-18.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.24

$3.22 ¥21.42

-23.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.1

$11.23 ¥74.6

4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.16

$2.13 ¥14.12

21.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.80

$1.79 ¥11.86

-17.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$2.05 ¥13.60

-18.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.23

$1.53 ¥10.17

30.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.47

$0.74 ¥4.88

31.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.04

$0.92 ¥6.14

96.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.15

$0.69 ¥4.59

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.61 ¥4.03

-11.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.36

$4.44 ¥29.52

-34.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$14.00 ¥93.0

-18.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$1.03 ¥6.83

-23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.55

$1.80 ¥11.99

-3.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.59 ¥3.89

-72.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$32.53 ¥216

-63.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$2.00 ¥13.30

-27.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.33 ¥2.18

-12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.07

$7.68 ¥51.0

-3.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.30 ¥8.62

2.31%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

0.02%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$18.0K ¥119.6K

-2.41%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$58.8 ¥391

-26.53%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$8.71 ¥57.9

-0.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥68.9

$14.51 ¥96.4

-28.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$46.71 ¥310

1.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$24.48 ¥163

-57.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.0

$7.60 ¥50.5

34.74%

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

$496 ¥3,297

$985 ¥6,543

-49.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$24.5K ¥162.8K

1.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥260

$72.1 ¥479

-45.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$40.22 ¥267

-26.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$86.8 ¥576

23.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥561

$126 ¥837

-32.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$933 ¥6,197

-62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,766

$530 ¥3,517

-49.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,587

$2,279 ¥15.1K

-63.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,610

$1,096 ¥7,278

-50.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.0K

$11.8K ¥78.4K

-27.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$6,566 ¥43.6K

-26.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,833

$1,707 ¥11.3K

-30.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.12

10.90%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2% 99.2% $264

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2% 5.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2% 25% $29

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1% 25.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2% 8.7% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 31.7% $20

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2% 149% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in Xiamen 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 run about 45% higher in Beijing (Pekin). Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Xiamen versus $30 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $230 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

Same time as Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Xiamen
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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,248 per month in Xiamen 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 Xiamen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Xiamen and $30 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 $832 in Xiamen and $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin). That makes Xiamen about 30% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $832, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xiamen – 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 Xiamen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.