Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 40.5% cheaper than Brussels.
- Restaurants
-
pay 77.0% less in Beijing
- Groceries
-
pay 36.6% less in Beijing
- Transportation
-
pay 48.0% less in Beijing
- Housing
-
pay 56.8% less in Beijing
- Childcare
-
pay 10.8% less in Beijing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.5% less in Beijing
- Clothing
-
pay 29.9% less in Beijing
Expenses including restaurants, housing, transportation, groceries, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Beijing.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Brussels, you would:
pay 77.0% less for restaurants
|
Brussels
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.44
€19.56
|
$4.17
CN¥30.46
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.86
€11.73
|
$5.57
CN¥40.62
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.89
€2.64
|
$0.50
CN¥3.62
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
€2.33
|
$0.31
CN¥2.26
|
|
pay 36.6% less for groceries
|
Brussels
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.59
€2.36
|
$1.43
CN¥10.47
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.47
€6.82
|
$7.31
CN¥53.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.00
€5.48
|
$7.17
CN¥52.32
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.29
€3.92
|
$1.74
CN¥12.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.66
€5.17
|
$1.53
CN¥11.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.16
€1.06
|
$0.92
CN¥6.69
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.96
€0.88
|
$0.71
CN¥5.19
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
€1.08
|
$0.89
CN¥6.47
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
€1.26
|
$0.58
CN¥4.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
€0.90
|
$0.37
CN¥2.69
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.86
|
$0.47
CN¥3.44
|
|
pay 48.0% less for transportation
|
Brussels
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.92
€6.31
|
$4.36
CN¥31.82
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.59
€48.90
|
$33.40
CN¥243.71
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,152.89
€29,337.46
|
$20,872.18
CN¥152,320.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.94
€23.67
|
$4.59
CN¥33.51
|
|
pay 56.8% less for housing
|
Brussels
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$55.46
€50.61
|
$13.28
CN¥96.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,200.57
€1,095.44
|
$929.88
CN¥6,786.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,025.16
€935.40
|
$492.44
CN¥3,593.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.33
€163.63
|
$42.04
CN¥306.80
|
|
pay 10.8% less for childcare
|
Brussels
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$988.17
€901.64
|
$763.49
CN¥5,571.83
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,667.79
€20,682.91
|
$22,913.01
CN¥167,214.59
|
|
pay 24.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Brussels
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.36
€4.89
|
$1.11
CN¥8.12
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.01
€3.66
|
$3.60
CN¥26.29
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.65
€8.80
|
$3.48
CN¥25.39
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.09
€34.76
|
$65.46
CN¥477.69
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.20
€12.96
|
$8.35
CN¥60.93
|
|
pay 29.9% less for clothing
|
Brussels
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$96.46
€88.01
|
$62.65
CN¥457.24
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
€46.83
|
$34.69
CN¥253.14
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$115.01
€104.94
|
$83.45
CN¥609.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$143.35
€130.80
|
$107.64
CN¥785.51
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Beijing or Brussels. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.
