Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yiwu and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index
57

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

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Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $550 per month in Yiwu vs $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Yiwu $550
Beijing (Pekin) $1,197

A couple spends around $1,299 per month in Yiwu vs $1,913 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Yiwu $1,299
Beijing (Pekin) $1,913

A family of three spends $2,048 per month in Yiwu vs $2,630 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Yiwu $2,048
Beijing (Pekin) $2,630

Yiwu is about 54% cheaper than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Yiwu and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Yiwu 60% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.88 ¥19.15

$4.42 ¥29.39

-34.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.56 ¥197

$29.66 ¥197

-0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 ¥35.06

$5.37 ¥35.76

-1.86%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$3.73 ¥24.81

-8.58%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.56 ¥3.71

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$0.29 ¥1.94

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$1.19 ¥7.91

3.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥15.28

$1.73 ¥11.55

32.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.82

$1.72 ¥11.43

3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.91

$1.77 ¥11.80

9.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.29 ¥8.62

-20.16%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.27

$1.91 ¥12.74

-11.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$14.70 ¥97.8

15.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.04

$3.22 ¥21.46

2.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ¥86.0

$11.23 ¥74.7

15.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.33

$2.13 ¥14.15

0.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.79 ¥11.89

-3.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$2.05 ¥13.62

-0.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.27

$1.53 ¥10.19

10.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$0.74 ¥4.89

10.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.09

$0.92 ¥6.15

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.26

$0.69 ¥4.60

-7.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.61 ¥4.04

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.52

$4.44 ¥29.58

-13.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 ¥71.7

$14.00 ¥93.2

-23.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$1.03 ¥6.84

-14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.32

$1.80 ¥12.01

-13.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ¥3.06

$0.59 ¥3.90

-22.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥217

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$2.00 ¥13.33

-30.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.33 ¥2.19

42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.98 ¥59.8

$7.68 ¥51.1

16.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.30 ¥8.64

-2.31%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

0.54%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$18.0K ¥119.8K

1.39%

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

$57.7 ¥384

$58.8 ¥392

-1.97%

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

$7.89 ¥52.5

$8.71 ¥58.0

-9.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.44 ¥69.5

$14.51 ¥96.6

-28.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.16 ¥101

$46.71 ¥311

-67.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$24.48 ¥163

-53.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 ¥47.19

$7.60 ¥50.6

-6.71%

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

$1,606 ¥10.7K

$985 ¥6,556

63.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥186.9K

$24.5K ¥163.2K

14.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$72.1 ¥480

-22.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 ¥252

$40.22 ¥268

-5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ¥509

$86.8 ¥578

-11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 ¥496

$126 ¥839

-40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,035

$933 ¥6,209

-51.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,524

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,024

$2,279 ¥15.2K

-53.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 ¥5,051

$1,096 ¥7,293

-30.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K ¥79.1K

$11.8K ¥78.6K

0.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,935 ¥19.5K

$6,566 ¥43.7K

-55.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ¥5,035

$1,707 ¥11.4K

-55.68%

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 Yiwu: October 25, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yiwu

$235 42.7%

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2% 2.2% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Yiwu

$110 20%

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2% 32.9% $36

Eating Out

Yiwu

$94 17.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1% 15.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yiwu

$76 13.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9% 8% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Yiwu

$29 5.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2% 111% $33

Getting Around

Yiwu

$5.6 * 1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2% 593% $33

Accommodation & Living

Yiwu

- * 0%

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $456 in Yiwu 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 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Yiwu versus $30 in Beijing (Pekin). Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Yiwu vs $230 in Beijing (Pekin) – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

Same time as Yiwu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,015

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

On the map

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Between locations

Yiwu Beijing (Pekin) 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Yiwu
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

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

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $825 per month in Yiwu 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 Yiwu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $456 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Monthly expenses with rent come to $550 in Yiwu and $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin). That makes Yiwu about 54% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,606 per month in Yiwu and $985 in Beijing (Pekin). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,197. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

If budget matters most, go with Yiwu. 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.