Cost of Living in Beijing: A Comprehensive Guide on Beijing’s Expense

Beijing, the capital of China, is the most populous national capital in the world. It is renowned for its modern architecture and ancient sites. The average cost of living in Beijing is around 4,434.6 CNY per month without rent for a single person, and the living expense can vary according to one’s living standards and preferences. In addition, the average cost of rent in Beijing for the city area is approximately 6,900 CNY per month.

Beijing is like a mix of old and new. It has impressive city views, iconic skyscrapers, beautiful parks, serene temples, tombs, walls, gates and prestigious Universities. Students from many countries often move to this vibrant country for study, jobs, excellent quality of life, and career opportunities. If you plan to move to Beijing, ensure you know all your basic living expenses. In this blog post, we will show the cost of living in Beijing with various parameters, including food costs, rent, education cost, transportation cost, utilities cost, healthcare cost, and many others. So, let’s begin our discussion without any further delay.

Cost of Living in Beijing for International Students

On average, 10,500 CNY is the monthly cost of living in Beijing for a single person, including rent around the city area. It is around 60% lower than the cost of living in New York. Beijing attracts students worldwide due to its unmatched living standards, high-quality education system, and programs. Here, we have categorised the average cost of living in Beijing into different categories for the immigrants who wish to move here. Before moving to Beijing, students can get an idea of how much they have to keep with them:

Cost of Rent in Beijing

Approx. 6,900 CNY is the average cost of rent in Beijing for a single person in the city centre, and it can vary depending on the budget and lifestyle a person prefers. The costs of living in Beijing concerning apartment rent are as follows:

Apartment Location	Approx. Monthly Rent
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	6,900 CNY
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	3,917 CNY
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	16,040 CNY
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	8,384 CNY

Also Read: Cost of Living in Taiwan: A Guide on Expected Expenses

Cost of Grocery in Beijing

Approx. 430 CNY is the average monthly cost of groceries in Beijing, including milk, bread, rice, water, vegetables, fruits and other groceries. As a daily expense, grocery costs can impact your cost of living in Beijing. Below is the list of a few grocery items with their prices available in Beijing: 

Grocery Item	Approx. Cost
Milk (regular), (1 litre)	14 CNY
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)	11 CNY
Rice (white), (1kg)	8 CNY
Eggs (regular) (12)	12.50 CNY
Apples (1kg)	14.50 CNY
Banana (1kg)	12 CNY
Oranges (1kg)	13.50 CNY
Tomato (1kg)	9 CNY
Potato (1kg)	6 CNY
Onion (1kg)	7 CNY
Lettuce (1 head)	6 CNY
Water (1.5 litre bottle)	3.50 CNY
meat, egg, drinks and Other items	310 CNY

Cost of Utilities in Beijing

Approx. 570 CNY is a basic utility cost in Beijing per month for a single person, which is relatively low from the cost of living in Beijing. Electricity, gas, a monthly mobile plan, and internet data are included in the utility cost in Beijing. For your reference, we have given the Cost of Utilities in Beijing for immigrant students in the country:

Utility Type	Approx. Monthly Cost
Basic Utility for 85m2 Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage)	399 CNY
Internet (60+ Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71 CNY
Monthly Plan of Mobile Phone (with Calls & 10GB+ Data)	99 CNY

Cost of Transportation in Beijing

Approx. 250 CNY is the monthly transportation cost in Beijing for local city transport. It has a public transportation network of Metros, light rails, buses, and taxis. The cost of transportation comes under the overall cost of living in Beijing. Here are various modes of transportation with their fare costs:

Mode of Transport	Approx. Monthly Cost
One-way Ticket(Local Transport)	5 CNY
Monthly Pass(Regular Price)	250 CNY
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)	13 CNY
Taxi 1km(Normal Tariff)	2.50 CNY
Taxi 1 hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)	90 CNY
Gasoline (1 litre)	8.30 CNY

Average Tuition Cost in Beijing 

The average tuition cost in Beijing for undergraduate programs is around 30,000CNY /year, and for postgraduate programs, it is around 35,000 CNY/year. Moreover, the government of Beijing has set up the tuition Scholarship (BGS) for International students. Along with the average cost of living in Beijing, the essential thing for you is the average tuition fees of Beijing’s universities. Here in the table we have given average tuition fees in the universities in Beijing.

Universities	Programs Category	Approx. Tuition Cost (per year)
Tsinghua University	Bachelor	30,000 CNY
	Masters	35,000 CNY
Peking University	Bachelor	30,000 CNY
	Masters	40,000 CNY
	PhD	40,000 CNY
Beijing Institute of Technology	Bachelor	30,000 CNY
	Masters	35,000 CNY
	PhD	44,000 CNY
Beijing Normal University	Bachelor	25,000 CNY
	Masters	30,000 CNY
	PhD	35,000 CNY

Also Read: Cost of Living in Cuba: A Comprehensive Guide on Cuba’s Expense

Things to Consider Before Moving to Beijing

Before finalising the cost of living in Beijing’s budget, a student should consider a few other essential things while moving to Beijing for higher education. There are plenty of options for international students, including an academic excellence environment and recreational opportunities. So, here are some things you should know before moving to Beijing: 

Free 144 Hours Visa in Beijing

Before planning the cost of living in Beijing, if you want to explore the city to gauge the cost of living, Beijing has an excellent 144-hour free visa transit policy. This means that anyone can visit Beijing or any city in China on a Visa, of course.

Healthcare in Beijing

Beijing’s healthcare system is also among the most efficient and ranked among the top in the world. The country provides free basic healthcare to its public under its social insurance plan, which sometimes also covers most expats depending on their region. The negligible expenses do not affect the cost of living in Beijing. 

Work Opportunities

Beijing is the centre of trade and commerce in the country of China. It is a busy place for jobs and has big Chinese tech companies like Lenovo, Intel, AMD, Google, and Microsoft. Moreover, it also has the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA) and there are plenty of job opportunities in textiles, tourism, metallurgy, appliances, and manufacturing industries.

SEVEN World Heritage Sites in Beijing

Beijing has more than 3000 years of history and has done a great job of preserving its cultural heritage. In Beijing there are SEVEN World Heritage Sites that you can visit. Don’t worry it will not affect the cost of living in Beijing much.

• The Great Wall
• The Forbidden City
• The Summer Palace
• The Temple of Heaven
• The Imperial Tombs of the Ming & Qing Dynasties
• Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian
• The Grand Canal

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FAQs

So, this was all about the cost of living in Beijing. Many Indian students dream of pursuing education in foreign nations due to the exposure and career growth they offer. Consider joining a free counselling session with Leverage Edu if you plan to study abroad.