Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xining and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $714 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xining
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Xining Living Index
58

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

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Xining

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Xining vs $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Xining $714
Beijing (Pekin) $1,185

A couple spends around $1,130 per month in Xining vs $1,917 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Xining $1,130
Beijing (Pekin) $1,917

A family of three spends $1,545 per month in Xining vs $2,648 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Xining $1,545
Beijing (Pekin) $2,648

Xining is about 40% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Xining and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Xining 47% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.82 ¥18.87

$4.53 ¥30.31

-37.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.76 ¥145

$30.16 ¥202

-27.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 ¥31.89

$5.36 ¥35.83

-11.01%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥20.77

$3.57 ¥23.84

-12.89%

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

$0.44 ¥2.94

$0.51 ¥3.39

-13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.28 ¥1.89

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.19 ¥7.94

-26.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.05

$1.71 ¥11.43

22.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$1.74 ¥11.66

2.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.77 ¥11.82

-12.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$1.29 ¥8.61

-29.46%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.95 ¥13.01

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 ¥85.2

$14.29 ¥95.5

-10.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.67

$3.31 ¥22.13

-2.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ¥67.0

$11.11 ¥74.3

-9.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$2.12 ¥14.18

-12.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.99

$1.73 ¥11.56

-30.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$2.09 ¥13.98

-26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$1.54 ¥10.30

-29.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.69 ¥4.64

1.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$0.91 ¥6.09

3.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.75 ¥5.04

-21.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.69

$0.61 ¥4.06

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ¥21.26

$4.27 ¥28.52

-25.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 ¥70.9

$13.90 ¥93.0

-23.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥5.02

$1.02 ¥6.80

-26.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.81 ¥12.09

-8.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.69 ¥4.65

-60.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 ¥112

$34.82 ¥233

-51.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 ¥9.36

$1.90 ¥12.73

-26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.35 ¥2.36

2.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 ¥43.46

$7.28 ¥48.68

-10.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$1.33 ¥8.87

-12.78%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

-1.24%

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

$17.1K ¥114.2K

$18.0K ¥120.6K

-5.31%

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

$45.89 ¥307

$59.1 ¥395

-22.30%

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

$9.55 ¥63.9

$8.77 ¥58.7

8.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 ¥77.4

$14.22 ¥95.1

-18.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.43 ¥284

$41.06 ¥275

3.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.68 ¥91.5

$24.89 ¥166

-45.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.04

$7.44 ¥49.74

-19.49%

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

$329 ¥2,201

$654 ¥4,375

-49.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ¥111.1K

$24.0K ¥160.5K

-30.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.59 ¥291

$71.2 ¥476

-38.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.36 ¥203

$40.02 ¥268

-24.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ¥474

$88.2 ¥590

-19.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 ¥474

$127 ¥846

-43.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ¥1,831

$945 ¥6,317

-71.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,283

$523 ¥3,499

-63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 ¥3,968

$2,362 ¥15.8K

-74.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,379

$1,122 ¥7,500

-68.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,085 ¥20.6K

$12.3K ¥82.0K

-74.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,043 ¥13.7K

$6,446 ¥43.1K

-68.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.12

24.68%

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

Last update for Xining: October 17, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xining

$197 27.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3% 16% $32

Accommodation & Living

Xining

$192 26.9%

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2% 173% $331

Clothing & Footwear

Xining

$97 13.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4% 51.1% $50

Eating Out

Xining

$86 12%

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1% 25.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xining

$67 9.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 22.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Xining

$54 7.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 2.8% $1.5

Getting Around

Xining

$21 3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 96.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Xining 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Xining versus $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $229 – making Xining the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xining

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

Same time as Xining

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,333,700

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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Xining Beijing (Pekin) 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Xining
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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,071 per month in Xining 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 Xining, 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 Xining 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 $714 in Xining and $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 66%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Xining, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Xining it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xining – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Xining. 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.