Cost of living comparison
Chicago is 2.8 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 |
$4.15
CN¥29.83
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.54
CN¥39.77
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
CN¥3.62
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.23
|
$2.40
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for groceries
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.43
CN¥10.27
|
$4.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.83
CN¥49.02
|
$8.29
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.46
CN¥53.59
|
$4.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.75
CN¥12.55
|
$4.07
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.44
CN¥10.36
|
$6.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.96
CN¥6.88
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
CN¥5.70
|
$0.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.87
CN¥6.26
|
$2.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
CN¥4.14
|
$2.24
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
CN¥2.64
|
$1.19
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.49
CN¥3.50
|
$1.35
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for transportation
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.35
CN¥31.26
|
$4.22
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$34.62
CN¥248.57
|
$80.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,773.90
CN¥149,139.96
|
$37,383.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.68
CN¥33.61
|
$14.43
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for housing
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$13.59
CN¥97.56
|
$57.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$969.73
CN¥6,961.86
|
$2,432.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$561.86
CN¥4,033.69
|
$1,517.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$42.17
CN¥302.75
|
$122.94
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$836.50
CN¥6,005.38
|
$2,170.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,256.69
CN¥181,322.79
|
$45,450.00
|
|
pay 2.9 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.38
CN¥9.94
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.73
CN¥26.79
|
$5.21
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.46
CN¥24.86
|
$16.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.16
CN¥446.26
|
$76.63
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.31
CN¥59.66
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 18.6% more for clothing
|
Beijing
|
Chicago
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.57
CN¥470.74
|
$60.46
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.21
CN¥252.79
|
$53.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.31
CN¥612.42
|
$97.19
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.58
CN¥808.25
|
$130.31
|
|
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