Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beijing is a city of extremes when it comes to the cost of living. Some will find that they
can enjoy a lifestyle here that was never possible back home—a large home with a live-in
housekeeper, a personal driver, enough savings to pay off a mortgage back home, and a so-
cial life filled with dinners at Western restaurants and black-tie events at five-star hotels.
Others will scrape by from month to month on a basic salary, eating out most nights but at
local street-side restaurants, and leaving China richer but only with experiences.
Your expenditure will be largely up to you. Despite prices hiking at dramatic rates,
Beijing really does have the capacity to allow both thrifty and expensive lifestyles. Living
on a shoestring might require some compromising on quality and international brands, but
it's possible.
Beijing is also still considerably cheaper on average than many other international cities.
In a 2012 survey conducted by Zurich-based financial firm UBS, Beijing ranked as 46th
out of 72 cities for price levels (with New York at number 6 and London at 10). Then, in
Mercer's 2012 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, which looked specifically at the kinds of
costs incurred by expats—including transport, food, clothing, household goods, entertain-
