Cost of Living in Beijing

Beijing is the capital city and a great to live. But before moving to Beijing, you have to evaluate the living cost in the capital city. You need to consider apartment rent, utilities, groceries, transport, and other expenses.

In Beijing, you will meet many people with different living standards and income ranges. From low to high-end, almost every class of people is living in Beijing. The cost of living in Beijing often depends on your lifestyle. 

If you want to have a Western experience with a high-end apartment, Western meals, and done your shopping in foreign stores, living in Beijing will cost you a lot. 

Instead, with a typical apartment at a nice place, eating and shopping in a local place, the living cost can be very low, then that would be in any capital city in the US or Europe. 

How much Living in Beijing can cost you?

Here is a brief analysis of our living experience in Beijing. It also included other people's experiences. For people with ex-pat packages, where most expenditure are paid by the company, this analysis might look different.

Apartment Rent

Beijing is a capital city, so you can expect higher rents here. The cost of living in Beijing is likely higher than anywhere else in China. 

A nice and newly renovated apartment with 2-bedrooms in a nice complex in Haidian outside the 5th ring road likely cost about 5500 RMB. It is not an ex-pat area, so you will not find English-speaking people. Here you will need some Chinese friends who can speak Mandarin with the landlord or property management. After one year the rent can be increased and extended to 7500 RMB. 

For the same rent, you can find an apartment near the main city, but it may not such a nice apartment. My one friend is paying 6000 RMB for a 1 bedroom apartment near the subway station in Wudaokou, and the other is paying 4000 RMP for a typically shared bedroom apartment in 2nd ring road near the subway. 

Rents generally depend on area and location. In a high-end ex-pat area, the rents will be high, while if you live in a typical Chinese complex the rent will low. 

In an ex-pat area, rents are usually 15000 RMP and even much more, however it may include more foreigner facilities like a fitness center or swimming pool. As well if you are within the 3rd or 4th ring and near to foreign schools, 15000 RMP rent is common for 100-140sqm in Beijing.

You can also find an apartment online, there are many websites offering apartments for ex-pats, but keep in mind that sometimes the place doesn’t look as good as in pictures. So it is better to visit the place before signing up a rental contract. 

Apartment Utilities

In Beijing, we often pay about 300 RMB per month for apartment utilities. Normally, we use about 400 units per month, with extra use of AC or electric heating it reached to 500 units /250 RMB.  

The water bill was about 35 RMB per month. We also received a gas bill after 7-months, and we were surprised it was only 70 RMB. 

Domestic help

Many people hire maids or helpers for cleaning and cooking. In Beijing, a maid typically costs around 25-35 RMB an hour. You can also hire live-in ayi for your kids, but not everyone is comfortable with having someone living in the same home. Maid and helpers are usually Chinese-speaking, someone may know Basic English. So you have to address them in Chinese. 

Phone and Internet

For a working person, internet connection is very important. In China, data bundles are cheap and typically offered by landline phone and cell phone SIM card. For an internet bundle, we pay around 200 RMB per month. This bundle includes unlimited data and 300 minutes for the call. We use another bundle that includes unlimited data, 50 minutes, and 300 text messages per month. It cost around 100 RMP. If you buy a bundle for 6-months, the price can be less. 

Groceries

We usually buy groceries from Western supermarket once a month, it cost around 500 RMP. Western items are typically expensive in China. 

In a typical shopping, I buy yogurt, milk, fruits, vegetables, and cleaning supplies, etc it cost me about 100 RMB. 

The cost of food can be varying. It often depends on your taste and the number of your family members. However, local Chinese ingredients are cheap. Fresh fruits and vegetables are available everywhere.

Eating Out

There are numerous Chinese and Western restaurants in Beijing. The costs of eating out in a Western restaurant will be higher than the typical Chinese restaurant. 

At a local Chinese restaurant, a bill for two persons with beer can be less than 100 RMB, and if you eat out at a small street restaurant, it may cost much less. 

At a high-end Chinese restaurant, your bill can be around 200-300 RMB. While eating in a typical western restaurant will cost you much more than this. Therefore it is better to cook food at your home. 

Coffee

If you are a coffee lover, you can expect to pay 25-35 RMB for a fancy coffee cup. However, if you buy good quality coffee beans it will cost you about 90 RMB per half a pound. 

Shopping 

Shopping cost in Beijing depends on your lifestyle. If you like to have a Western experience and wear branded clothes, it will be very costly. However, if you buy local clothing from China markets, it will cost you less. 

There are many local markets where you can get cheap clothing. You can also order from your home. Here you will find all types of variety both in Western and Chinese culture.

Transportation

In China, public transportation is very cheap. There are many ways to move around the city such as subways, buses, taxis, cars, and rickshaws. It is better to choose a subway because it is very cheap and convenient.

We bought a subway card it cost about 80 RMB. With "Yikatong" I spend about 5-10 RMB a day for a subway and bus ride. A subway ride within a city usually cost 3 RMB. However, if you hire a taxi it can cost you higher than a bus ride. 

The tuk-tuks are very cheap and useful for short-distance trips. They are speedy and handy. They will cost less than 10 RMB for a nearby place. 

Expensive or Cheap

Obviously, this breakdown can only provide you guidance about the living cost in Beijing but it can’t predict what will be the actual cost. Living in Beijing depends on your lifestyle; it can be cheap as well as expensive.