Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 39.1% cheaper than Cairns.
- Restaurants
-
pay 71.9% less in Beijing
- Groceries
-
pay 33.6% less in Beijing
- Transportation
-
pay 35.8% less in Beijing
- Housing
-
pay 51.1% less in Beijing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.3% less in Beijing
- Clothing
-
pay 11.9% less in Beijing
Expenses including restaurants, housing, transportation, groceries, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Beijing.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Cairns, you would:
pay 71.9% less for restaurants
|
Cairns
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.49
A$24.58
|
$4.17
CN¥30.32
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.89
A$15.69
|
$5.57
CN¥40.43
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.97
A$4.71
|
$0.50
CN¥3.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.47
A$3.92
|
$0.31
CN¥2.25
|
|
pay 33.6% less for groceries
|
Cairns
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.49
A$3.95
|
$1.43
CN¥10.42
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.06
A$6.45
|
$7.31
CN¥53.08
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.49
A$10.29
|
$7.17
CN¥52.08
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.04
A$6.41
|
$1.74
CN¥12.63
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.27
A$6.78
|
$1.53
CN¥11.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.38
A$2.19
|
$0.92
CN¥6.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.65
|
$0.71
CN¥5.17
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.25
A$1.98
|
$0.89
CN¥6.44
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.31
A$5.25
|
$0.58
CN¥4.23
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.04
A$1.65
|
$0.37
CN¥2.68
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.05
A$1.66
|
$0.47
CN¥3.42
|
|
pay 35.8% less for transportation
|
Cairns
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.29
A$6.81
|
$4.36
CN¥31.67
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.90
A$104.59
|
$33.40
CN¥242.57
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,066.04
A$36,606.97
|
$20,872.18
CN¥151,607.16
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$32.95
A$52.30
|
$4.59
CN¥33.35
|
|
pay 51.1% less for housing
|
Cairns
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.14
A$95.44
|
$13.28
CN¥96.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,090.69
A$1,730.99
|
$929.88
CN¥6,754.26
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$943.73
A$1,497.75
|
$492.44
CN¥3,576.90
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$117.59
A$186.62
|
$42.04
CN¥305.36
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Cairns
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$763.49
CN¥5,545.72
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$22,913.01
CN¥166,430.97
|
pay 30.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Cairns
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.59
A$10.46
|
$1.11
CN¥8.09
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.12
A$6.54
|
$3.60
CN¥26.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$29.66
A$47.07
|
$3.48
CN¥25.27
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.66
A$61.36
|
$65.46
CN¥475.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.18
A$20.92
|
$8.35
CN¥60.64
|
|
pay 11.9% less for clothing
|
Cairns
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.88
A$107.73
|
$62.65
CN¥455.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$62.61
A$99.36
|
$34.69
CN¥251.95
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.27
A$114.70
|
$83.45
CN¥606.17
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$120.82
A$191.75
|
$107.64
CN¥781.83
|
|
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 Cairns. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.