Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 24.4% cheaper than Des Moines.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Des Moines, you would:
pay 69.6% less for restaurants
|
Des Moines
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.00
|
$4.15
CN¥29.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.50
|
$5.54
CN¥39.45
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.27
|
$0.50
CN¥3.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
|
$0.31
CN¥2.21
|
|
pay 29.4% less for groceries
|
Des Moines
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.02
|
$1.43
CN¥10.19
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.78
|
$6.83
CN¥48.62
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.92
|
$7.46
CN¥53.15
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.00
|
$1.75
CN¥12.45
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.00
|
$1.44
CN¥10.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.14
|
$0.96
CN¥6.83
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
|
$0.79
CN¥5.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$0.87
CN¥6.21
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$0.58
CN¥4.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.75
|
$0.37
CN¥2.62
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$0.49
CN¥3.47
|
|
pay 19.7% less for transportation
|
Des Moines
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.05
|
$4.35
CN¥31.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$58.00
|
$34.62
CN¥246.55
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,000.00
|
$20,773.90
CN¥147,933.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$11.94
|
$4.68
CN¥33.33
|
|
pay 49.7% less for housing
|
Des Moines
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.46
|
$13.59
CN¥96.77
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,215.00
|
$969.73
CN¥6,905.52
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$912.50
|
$561.86
CN¥4,001.05
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$115.16
|
$42.17
CN¥300.30
|
|
pay 37.5% more for childcare
|
Des Moines
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,369.17
|
$836.50
CN¥5,956.78
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,812.00
|
$25,256.69
CN¥179,855.38
|
|
pay 39.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Des Moines
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.75
|
$1.38
CN¥9.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.92
|
$3.73
CN¥26.58
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.00
|
$3.46
CN¥24.66
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.67
|
$62.16
CN¥442.65
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.50
|
$8.31
CN¥59.17
|
|
pay 0.8% less for clothing
|
Des Moines
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.44
|
$65.57
CN¥466.93
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.25
|
$35.21
CN¥250.74
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.50
|
$85.31
CN¥607.47
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$143.00
|
$112.58
CN¥801.71
|
|
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