Cost of living comparison
Brussels is 2.5 times more expensive than Beijing.
If you lived in Brussels instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 5.4 times more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.17
CN¥30.19
|
$21.44
€20.33
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.57
CN¥40.26
|
$12.86
€12.20
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
CN¥3.59
|
$2.89
€2.74
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.24
|
$2.56
€2.43
|
|
pay 89.3% more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.43
CN¥10.37
|
$2.59
€2.46
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.31
CN¥52.85
|
$7.47
€7.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.17
CN¥51.86
|
$6.00
€5.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.74
CN¥12.57
|
$4.29
€4.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥11.07
|
$5.66
€5.37
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.92
CN¥6.63
|
$1.16
€1.10
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
CN¥5.14
|
$0.96
€0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.89
CN¥6.41
|
$1.19
€1.13
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
CN¥4.21
|
$1.38
€1.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
CN¥2.66
|
$0.98
€0.93
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
CN¥3.41
|
$0.94
€0.89
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.36
CN¥31.53
|
$6.92
€6.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$33.40
CN¥241.53
|
$53.59
€50.82
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,872.18
CN¥150,958.03
|
$32,152.89
€30,492.58
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.59
CN¥33.21
|
$25.94
€24.60
|
|
pay 3.0 times more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$13.28
CN¥96.07
|
$55.46
€52.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$929.88
CN¥6,725.34
|
$1,200.57
€1,138.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$492.44
CN¥3,561.59
|
$1,025.16
€972.23
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$42.04
CN¥304.06
|
$179.33
€170.07
|
|
pay 14.1% more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$763.49
CN¥5,521.97
|
$988.17
€937.14
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,913.01
CN¥165,718.37
|
$22,667.79
€21,497.27
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.11
CN¥8.05
|
$5.36
€5.08
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.60
CN¥26.06
|
$4.01
€3.80
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.48
CN¥25.16
|
$9.65
€9.15
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.46
CN¥473.41
|
$38.09
€36.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.35
CN¥60.38
|
$14.20
€13.47
|
|
pay 43.2% more for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.65
CN¥453.15
|
$96.46
€91.48
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.69
CN¥250.87
|
$51.32
€48.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.45
CN¥603.57
|
$115.01
€109.07
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.64
CN¥778.48
|
$143.35
€135.95
|
|
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