Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beihai and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beihai and in Hangzhou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Beihai and in Hangzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $744 per month in Beihai vs $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Beihai $744
Hangzhou $1,020

A couple spends around $1,167 per month in Beihai vs $1,566 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Beihai $1,167
Hangzhou $1,566

A family of three spends $1,590 per month in Beihai vs $2,112 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Beihai $1,590
Hangzhou $2,112

Beihai is about 27% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beihai and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Beihai 45% lower, Hangzhou 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 ¥22.74

$3.77 ¥25.22

-9.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.56 ¥131

$25.72 ¥172

-23.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ¥37.30

$4.54 ¥30.33

22.91%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.28

$3.35 ¥22.38

-27.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.59 ¥3.97

-22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥1.99

$0.33 ¥2.24

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.18 ¥7.90

3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.34

$2.21 ¥14.75

3.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$1.86 ¥12.44

2.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.36

$1.59 ¥10.60

6.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.12 ¥7.51

-1.79%

Eggs

$1.87 ¥12.53

$2.01 ¥13.42

-6.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 ¥93.3

$18.92 ¥127

-26.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.54

$3.78 ¥25.25

-22.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ¥70.8

$10.01 ¥66.9

5.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 ¥14.02

$2.28 ¥15.23

-7.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$1.41 ¥9.43

4.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.52 ¥10.16

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.55 ¥10.39

-18.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$0.89 ¥5.93

-16.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.45

$0.98 ¥6.57

-1.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.67 ¥4.45

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.33

$0.54 ¥3.61

-7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ¥22.70

$4.10 ¥27.40

-17.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 ¥80.6

$13.30 ¥89.0

-9.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$0.78 ¥5.22

-5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.10

$1.65 ¥11.02

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$0.63 ¥4.21

-52.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.17 ¥115

$17.61 ¥118

-2.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.91 ¥12.76

-18.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.38 ¥2.54

-18.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 ¥41.52

$7.28 ¥48.65

-14.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥9.31

$1.31 ¥8.76

6.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$18.2K ¥121.6K

$19.3K ¥129.2K

-5.88%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.2K ¥121.9K

$18.3K ¥122.5K

-0.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$61.5 ¥411

$47.44 ¥317

29.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.42 ¥63.0

$10.05 ¥67.2

-6.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.09 ¥80.8

$14.50 ¥97.0

-16.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.99 ¥274

$51.5 ¥344

-20.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.01 ¥93.7

$19.69 ¥132

-28.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.71 ¥38.19

$7.32 ¥48.94

-21.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$458 ¥3,064

$568 ¥3,801

-19.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$36.2K ¥242.1K

-49.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.58 ¥325

$59.6 ¥398

-18.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥254

$41.39 ¥277

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ¥534

$86.2 ¥576

-7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$109 ¥728

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥1,862

$626 ¥4,182

-55.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,190

$393 ¥2,628

-54.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 ¥4,803

$1,206 ¥8,061

-40.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$672 ¥4,490

-50.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,665 ¥24.5K

$8,023 ¥53.6K

-54.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 ¥14.8K

$3,742 ¥25.0K

-40.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,557 ¥10.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.5

-4.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Beihai

$212 28.5%

Hangzhou

$234 22.9% 10.5% $22

Accommodation & Living

Beihai

$178 23.9%

Hangzhou

$393 38.5% 121% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Beihai

$110 14.9%

Hangzhou

$133 13.1% 20.6% $23

Eating Out

Beihai

$87 11.7%

Hangzhou

$98 9.6% 12.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beihai

$83 11.2%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 13.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Beihai

$52 7%

Hangzhou

$66 6.5% 26.2% $14

Getting Around

Beihai

$22 2.9%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 11.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Beihai versus $626 in Hangzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $234 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beihai

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

Same time as Beihai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,617,500

10,360,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Beihai Hangzhou 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Beihai
Hangzhou

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Beihai vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hangzhou costs about 37% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Beihai and $1,530 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Hangzhou, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai and $26.00 in Hangzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Hangzhou at $1,020. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beihai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Beihai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.