Cost of Living in Beijing, 🇨🇳 China - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $1,957 $1,232 $2,319 $652 $109

Utilities — $87 $174 $43 —

Internet & Mobile $51 $29 $65 $14 $4

Groceries $116 $406 $942 $217 $6

Transportation $116 $87 $362 $36 $17

Dining Out $942 $507 $870 $174 $65

Leisure Activities $362 $290 $580 $72 $22

Health Insurance $80 $174 $507 $35 —

Visa & Legal Fees $65 $116 $217 — —

Total $3,689 $2,928 $6,036 $1,243 $223

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $1,087.08 per month

Coworking Space $260.90 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $1,811.81 per month

Coliving Space $869.67 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $4.64 per cup

Beer $2.17 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $5.80 per meal

Fast Food Combo $6.52 per meal

Apples $2.03 per kg

Bread $2.61 per loaf

Milk $2.32 per liter

Rice $1.23 per kg

Chicken Fillets $5.07 per kg

Beef $13.77 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $17.39 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $50.73 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.72 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $2.03 per trip

Taxi per km $0.33 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $37.69 per month

Gasoline $1.22 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $4.06 per trip

Scooter Rental $0.72 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $14.20 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $21.74 per month

Gym Membership $65.23 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $31.89 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $21.74 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $9.42 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $79.72 per pair

Summer Dress $43.48 per dress

Running Shoes $98.56 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $17.39 per visit

Laundry $5.07 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $86.97 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $6.52 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 6.8992 CNY

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Beijing cost of living