Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 35.0% cheaper than Calgary.
- Restaurants
-
pay 71.1% less in Beijing
- Groceries
-
pay 41.6% less in Beijing
- Transportation
-
pay 34.5% less in Beijing
- Housing
-
pay 61.3% less in Beijing
- Childcare
-
pay 3.1% more in Beijing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 35.0% less in Beijing
- Clothing
-
pay 4.6% less in Beijing
Expenses including restaurants, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing are lower in Beijing.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Calgary, you would:
pay 71.1% less for restaurants
|
Calgary
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.90
CA$25.96
|
$4.17
CN¥30.06
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.78
CA$14.81
|
$5.57
CN¥40.07
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.08
CA$2.86
|
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.70
CA$2.34
|
$0.31
CN¥2.23
|
|
pay 41.6% less for groceries
|
Calgary
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.57
CA$3.53
|
$1.43
CN¥10.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.33
CA$10.07
|
$7.31
CN¥52.61
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.31
CA$10.04
|
$7.17
CN¥51.62
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.73
CA$5.13
|
$1.74
CN¥12.51
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.95
CA$8.18
|
$1.53
CN¥11.02
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.95
CA$2.69
|
$0.92
CN¥6.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
CA$0.87
|
$0.71
CN¥5.12
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.71
CA$2.35
|
$0.89
CN¥6.39
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
CA$2.52
|
$0.58
CN¥4.20
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
CA$1.73
|
$0.37
CN¥2.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.05
CA$1.44
|
$0.47
CN¥3.39
|
|
pay 34.5% less for transportation
|
Calgary
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.21
CA$5.78
|
$4.36
CN¥31.39
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$82.63
CA$113.53
|
$33.40
CN¥240.44
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,412.64
CA$33,544.19
|
$20,872.18
CN¥150,275.51
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.27
CA$19.61
|
$4.59
CN¥33.06
|
|
pay 61.3% less for housing
|
Calgary
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.51
CA$84.52
|
$13.28
CN¥95.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,451.73
CA$1,994.75
|
$929.88
CN¥6,694.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,147.78
CA$1,577.10
|
$492.44
CN¥3,545.49
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$160.15
CA$220.06
|
$42.04
CN¥302.68
|
|
pay 3.1% more for childcare
|
Calgary
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$914.16
CA$1,256.11
|
$763.49
CN¥5,497.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,680.58
CA$25,668.05
|
$22,913.01
CN¥164,969.12
|
|
pay 35.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Calgary
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.21
CA$7.16
|
$1.11
CN¥8.01
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.87
CA$5.31
|
$3.60
CN¥25.94
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.37
CA$19.74
|
$3.48
CN¥25.05
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$53.75
CA$73.85
|
$65.46
CN¥471.27
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.93
CA$17.77
|
$8.35
CN¥60.11
|
|
pay 4.6% less for clothing
|
Calgary
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.78
CA$78.02
|
$62.65
CN¥451.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.70
CA$64.17
|
$34.69
CN¥249.74
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.33
CA$117.25
|
$83.45
CN¥600.85
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$108.68
CA$149.33
|
$107.64
CN¥774.96
|
|
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 Calgary. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.