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

Researched Updated Oct 25, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 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 8 9 10 11 $1,572 $1,422 $2,693 $718 $82

Utilities 8 1 — $120 $180 $60 —

Internet & Mobile 18 13 8 $37 $34 $49 $32 $0

Groceries 1 9 $143 $199 $452 $142 $6

Transportation 2 3 4 $216 $96 $380 $46 $18

Dining Out 1 20 $335 $346 $850 $63 $22

Leisure Activities 19 21 12 $140 $163 $8,075 $43 $23

Health Insurance 7 8 $63 $225 $539 $30 —

Visa & Legal Fees 14 16 — $2 $8 — —

Total $2,506 $2,607 $13,226 $1,134 $151

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 8 9 10 $748.57 $524 – $1,197 per month

Coworking Space 6 $154.17 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 8 1 $1,571.78 $1,422 – $1,946 per month

Coliving Space 11 $403.55 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 20 $4.49 per cup

Beer 1 9 $1.17 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 1 9 $4.47 per meal

Fast Food Combo 22 20 $6.29 per meal

Apples 1 9 $2.23 per kg

Bread 1 9 $1.76 per loaf

Milk 1 9 $1.96 per liter

Rice 1 9 $1.25 per kg

Chicken Fillets 1 9 $3.29 per kg

Beef 1 9 $11.10 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 1 9 $11.20 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 1 9 $29.50 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 1 9 $0.57 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 2 $1.95 per trip

Taxi per km 2 $0.34 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 3 4 1 $31.50 per month

Gasoline 5 $1.38 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 2 $2.78 per trip

Scooter Rental 15 $8.27 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 13 $13.17 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 18 8 $19.31 per month

Gym Membership 19 $35.77 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 8 $14.97 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 13 $13.17 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 21 $6.74 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans 1 9 $62.60 per pair

Summer Dress 1 9 $27.54 per dress

Running Shoes 1 9 $89.20 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut 1 9 $8.74 per visit

Laundry 1 9 $2.99 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 17 $7.49 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 1 9 $4.65 per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 25, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 6.6807 CNY on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Hanoi, Tokyo, Shanghai, Chengdu

Livingcost Beijing (Jun 2026 cross-check)Index
Beijing taxi fare scheduleOfficial
Beijing public transit faresOfficial
Beijing metro ticket rules (Aug 2026)Official
China RON-95 gasoline (NDRC), Oct 2026Index
Servcorp Fortune Financial Center hot desk ¥1,030/moListings
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
Beijing expat rent bands (Feb 2026)Secondary
Beijing rental market guide 2026Secondary
Lianjia 1BR Shuangqiao ¥3,500/moListings
Ziroom Changping micro-1BR ¥2,700–3,399/moListings
ISB tuition 2026–27 (grades 3–5 ¥311,800/yr)Official
Beijing foreign visitor SIM purchaseOfficial
China visa fee USD 23 single entry (to Dec 2026)Official
HelloBike 30-day e-bike pass ¥55.2Official
China visa-free entry policy through 31 Dec 2026Official
Beijing medical service fees (ordinary outpatient ¥50)Official
China Telecom 100M Beijing reference ¥120/moSecondary
Leke Fitness Beijing standard month ¥239Listings
Starbucks China Tall Cappuccino ¥30 (Oct 2026)Secondary
Wanda Cinema Beijing member 2D from ¥24.9Secondary
Beijing fast-food combo survey ¥42Index

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 1811.81 1571.78
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 1087.08 748.57
- Apples 2.03 2.23
- Beef 13.77 11.1
- Beer 2.17 1.17
40 more changes
- Bread 2.61 1.76
- Chicken Fillets 5.07 3.29
- Cinema Ticket 9.42 6.74
- Coffee 4.64 4.49
- Coliving Space 869.67 403.55
- Coworking Space 260.9 154.17
- Dining Out local 173.93, nomad 942.14, expat 507.31, family 869.67, tourist 65.23 local 62.58, nomad 335.25, expat 345.77, family 850.21, tourist 22.45
- Doctor Visit (GP) 86.97 7.49
- Fast Food Combo 6.52 6.29
- Gasoline 1.22 1.38
- Groceries local 217.42, nomad 115.96, expat 405.84, family 942.14, tourist 5.8 local 141.98, nomad 143.23, expat 198.77, family 451.5, tourist 6.44
- Gym Membership 65.23 35.77
- Haircut 17.39 8.74
- Health Insurance local 34.79, nomad 79.72, expat 173.93, family 507.31, tourist 0 local 29.94, nomad 62.72, expat 224.53, family 538.57, tourist 0
- Housing local 652.25, nomad 1956.75, expat 1232.03, family 2319.11, tourist 108.71 local 718.49, nomad 1571.78, expat 1422.16, family 2692.83, tourist 82.33
- Internet & Mobile local 14.49, nomad 50.73, expat 28.99, family 65.23, tourist 3.62 local 32.48, nomad 37.28, expat 34.43, family 48.95, tourist 0.44
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 21.74 19.31
- Jeans 79.72 62.6
- Laundry 5.07 2.99
- Leisure Activities local 72.47, nomad 362.36, expat 289.89, family 579.78, tourist 21.74 local 42.51, nomad 139.85, expat 163.05, family 8075.2, tourist 23.2
- Meal (Inexpensive) 5.8 4.47
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 50.73 29.5
- Milk 2.32 1.96
- Mobile Plan 14.2 13.17
- Monthly Transport Pass 37.69 31.5
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 6.52 4.65
- Rice 1.23 1.25
- Ride-hailing (5km) 4.06 2.78
- Running Shoes 98.56 89.2
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 21.74 13.17
- Scooter Rental 0.72 8.27
- Summer Dress 43.48 27.54
- Taxi Start 2.03 1.95
- Taxi per km 0.33 0.34
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 31.89 14.97
- Transportation local 36.24, nomad 115.96, expat 86.97, family 362.36, tourist 17.39 local 46.47, nomad 216.33, expat 95.8, family 380.2, tourist 17.96
- Utilities local 43.48, nomad 0, expat 86.97, family 173.93, tourist 0 local 59.88, nomad 0, expat 119.75, family 179.62, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 65.23, expat 115.96, family 217.42 local 0, expat 1.92, family 7.67
- Water (1.5L bottle) 0.72 0.57
- Wine (Mid-range) 17.39 11.2
Monthly Transport Pass moved to typical monthly commute spend ¥210.5 (no citywide pass; beijing.gov.cn, bjmoa.cn).

Beijing cost of living