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¥30.46
|
$21.44
€20.55
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.57
CN¥40.61
|
$12.86
€12.33
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
CN¥3.62
|
$2.89
€2.77
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.26
|
$2.56
€2.45
|
|
pay 89.3% more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.43
CN¥10.47
|
$2.59
€2.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.31
CN¥53.31
|
$7.47
€7.17
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.17
CN¥52.31
|
$6.00
€5.75
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.74
CN¥12.68
|
$4.29
€4.11
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥11.17
|
$5.66
€5.43
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.92
CN¥6.69
|
$1.16
€1.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
CN¥5.19
|
$0.96
€0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.89
CN¥6.47
|
$1.19
€1.14
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
CN¥4.25
|
$1.38
€1.33
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
CN¥2.69
|
$0.98
€0.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
CN¥3.44
|
$0.94
€0.90
|
|
pay 2.6 times more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.36
CN¥31.81
|
$6.92
€6.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$33.40
CN¥243.67
|
$53.59
€51.38
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,872.18
CN¥152,291.77
|
$32,152.89
€30,827.33
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.59
CN¥33.50
|
$25.94
€24.87
|
|
pay 3.0 times more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$13.28
CN¥96.92
|
$55.46
€53.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$929.88
CN¥6,784.76
|
$1,200.57
€1,151.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$492.44
CN¥3,593.06
|
$1,025.16
€982.90
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$42.04
CN¥306.74
|
$179.33
€171.94
|
|
pay 14.1% more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$763.49
CN¥5,570.76
|
$988.17
€947.43
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,913.01
CN¥167,182.52
|
$22,667.79
€21,733.26
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.11
CN¥8.12
|
$5.36
€5.14
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.60
CN¥26.29
|
$4.01
€3.84
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.48
CN¥25.38
|
$9.65
€9.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.46
CN¥477.60
|
$38.09
€36.52
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.35
CN¥60.92
|
$14.20
€13.62
|
|
pay 43.2% more for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.65
CN¥457.15
|
$96.46
€92.48
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.69
CN¥253.09
|
$51.32
€49.20
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.45
CN¥608.91
|
$115.01
€110.27
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.64
CN¥785.36
|
$143.35
€137.44
|
|
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