Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 44.7% more expensive than Cape Town.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.1% less in Beijing
- Groceries
-
pay 9.2% more in Beijing
- Transportation
-
pay 20.7% less in Beijing
- Housing
-
pay 23.6% less in Beijing
- Childcare
-
pay 4.5 times more in Beijing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.7% more in Beijing
- Clothing
-
pay 12.2% more in Beijing
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries in Beijing are more expensive than in Cape Town. Expenses including restaurants, housing, and transportation are lower in Beijing. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Beijing.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Cape Town, you would:
pay 38.1% less for restaurants
|
Cape Town
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.52
ZAR155.06
|
$4.17
CN¥30.22
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR93.04
|
$5.57
CN¥40.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.99
ZAR18.07
|
$0.50
CN¥3.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.78
ZAR14.20
|
$0.31
CN¥2.24
|
|
pay 9.2% more for groceries
|
Cape Town
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR19.52
|
$1.43
CN¥10.38
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.13
ZAR75.19
|
$7.31
CN¥52.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
ZAR77.41
|
$7.17
CN¥51.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.53
ZAR46.10
|
$1.74
CN¥12.58
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.30
ZAR41.80
|
$1.53
CN¥11.08
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR13.31
|
$0.92
CN¥6.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.66
|
$0.71
CN¥5.15
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.69
ZAR12.52
|
$0.89
CN¥6.42
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.72
|
$0.58
CN¥4.22
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.55
ZAR9.99
|
$0.37
CN¥2.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR10.81
|
$0.47
CN¥3.41
|
|
pay 20.7% less for transportation
|
Cape Town
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.09
ZAR92.64
|
$4.36
CN¥31.56
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.60
ZAR775.30
|
$33.40
CN¥241.74
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,879.98
ZAR361,808.21
|
$20,872.18
CN¥151,087.44
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.54
ZAR173.67
|
$4.59
CN¥33.24
|
|
pay 23.6% less for housing
|
Cape Town
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$43.29
ZAR787.82
|
$13.28
CN¥96.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$784.43
ZAR14,276.27
|
$929.88
CN¥6,731.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$505.72
ZAR9,203.96
|
$492.44
CN¥3,564.64
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$71.33
ZAR1,298.10
|
$42.04
CN¥304.32
|
|
pay 4.5 times more for childcare
|
Cape Town
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$207.06
ZAR3,768.44
|
$763.49
CN¥5,526.70
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,312.73
ZAR78,490.16
|
$22,913.01
CN¥165,860.43
|
|
pay 23.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Cape Town
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.56
ZAR46.52
|
$1.11
CN¥8.06
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.12
ZAR38.67
|
$3.60
CN¥26.08
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.95
ZAR53.75
|
$3.48
CN¥25.18
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.65
ZAR721.71
|
$65.46
CN¥473.82
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.82
ZAR124.05
|
$8.35
CN¥60.43
|
|
pay 12.2% more for clothing
|
Cape Town
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.53
ZAR974.21
|
$62.65
CN¥453.54
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.86
ZAR561.60
|
$34.69
CN¥251.09
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.97
ZAR1,910.35
|
$83.45
CN¥604.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.06
ZAR1,402.53
|
$107.64
CN¥779.15
|
|
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