Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 36.2% cheaper than Birmingham.
- Restaurants
-
pay 68.4% less in Beijing
- Groceries
-
pay 18.8% less in Beijing
- Transportation
-
pay 53.2% less in Beijing
- Housing
-
pay 56.8% less in Beijing
- Childcare
-
pay 15.3% less in Beijing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 28.6% less in Beijing
- Clothing
-
pay 12.0% less in Beijing
Expenses including restaurants, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and childcare are lower in Beijing.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Birmingham, you would:
pay 68.4% less for restaurants
|
Birmingham
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.37
£15.59
|
$4.17
CN¥30.56
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.04
£7.28
|
$5.57
CN¥40.75
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.11
£1.70
|
$0.50
CN¥3.63
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
£1.26
|
$0.31
CN¥2.26
|
|
pay 18.8% less for groceries
|
Birmingham
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.60
£1.29
|
$1.43
CN¥10.50
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.91
£3.95
|
$7.31
CN¥53.49
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.22
£5.00
|
$7.17
CN¥52.49
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.47
£2.79
|
$1.74
CN¥12.72
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.37
£2.72
|
$1.53
CN¥11.21
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.13
£0.91
|
$0.92
CN¥6.72
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.84
£0.67
|
$0.71
CN¥5.21
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.87
£0.70
|
$0.89
CN¥6.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.20
£0.96
|
$0.58
CN¥4.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
£0.62
|
$0.37
CN¥2.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
£0.48
|
$0.47
CN¥3.45
|
|
pay 53.2% less for transportation
|
Birmingham
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.07
£5.69
|
$4.36
CN¥31.92
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.49
£62.38
|
$33.40
CN¥244.47
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,531.14
£29,406.07
|
$20,872.18
CN¥152,796.87
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.03
£14.51
|
$4.59
CN¥33.62
|
|
pay 56.8% less for housing
|
Birmingham
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$37.78
£30.41
|
$13.28
CN¥97.24
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,287.50
£1,036.39
|
$929.88
CN¥6,807.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,020.31
£821.31
|
$492.44
CN¥3,604.97
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$247.07
£198.88
|
$42.04
CN¥307.76
|
|
pay 15.3% less for childcare
|
Birmingham
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,536.82
£1,237.08
|
$763.49
CN¥5,589.24
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,157.81
£15,421.25
|
$22,913.01
CN¥167,737.01
|
|
pay 28.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Birmingham
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.46
£5.20
|
$1.11
CN¥8.15
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.36
£3.51
|
$3.60
CN¥26.38
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$18.73
£15.07
|
$3.48
CN¥25.47
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.41
£28.50
|
$65.46
CN¥479.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.50
£12.48
|
$8.35
CN¥61.12
|
|
pay 12.0% less for clothing
|
Birmingham
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$84.31
£67.86
|
$62.65
CN¥458.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.16
£29.11
|
$34.69
CN¥253.93
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.56
£80.94
|
$83.45
CN¥610.93
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$108.86
£87.63
|
$107.64
CN¥787.96
|
|
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