Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 2.9 times more expensive than Beijing.
If you lived in Chicago instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 5.5 times more for restaurants
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.17
CN¥30.24
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.57
CN¥40.31
|
$11.34
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
CN¥3.59
|
$3.02
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.24
|
$2.44
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.43
CN¥10.39
|
$4.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.31
CN¥52.92
|
$7.87
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.17
CN¥51.93
|
$3.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.74
CN¥12.59
|
$3.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥11.09
|
$6.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.92
CN¥6.64
|
$2.44
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
CN¥5.15
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.89
CN¥6.42
|
$2.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
CN¥4.22
|
$2.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
CN¥2.67
|
$1.16
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
CN¥3.41
|
$1.37
|
|
pay 96.8% more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.36
CN¥31.58
|
$4.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$33.40
CN¥241.88
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,872.18
CN¥151,177.19
|
$31,965.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.59
CN¥33.26
|
$14.43
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$13.28
CN¥96.21
|
$58.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$929.88
CN¥6,735.11
|
$2,360.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$492.44
CN¥3,566.76
|
$1,512.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$42.04
CN¥304.50
|
$126.63
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$763.49
CN¥5,529.99
|
$2,475.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,913.01
CN¥165,958.96
|
$42,300.00
|
|
pay 3.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.11
CN¥8.06
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.60
CN¥26.10
|
$5.30
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.48
CN¥25.20
|
$17.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.46
CN¥474.10
|
$72.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.35
CN¥60.47
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 26.1% more for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.65
CN¥453.81
|
$64.98
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.69
CN¥251.24
|
$51.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.45
CN¥604.45
|
$97.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.64
CN¥779.61
|
$146.00
|
|
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