Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Hangzhou: $1,023 a month against $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,185

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beijing (Pekin) 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 Beijing (Pekin) and in Hangzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,185
Hangzhou $1,023

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,574 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,917
Hangzhou $1,574

A family of three spends $2,648 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,125 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,648
Hangzhou $2,125

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 16% more than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 13% lower, Hangzhou 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.31

$3.82 ¥25.52

18.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥202

$25.78 ¥172

16.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$4.72 ¥31.55

13.56%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ¥23.84

$3.44 ¥23.02

3.78%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.61 ¥4.07

-16.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.33 ¥2.22

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.19 ¥7.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.26 ¥15.11

-24.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.66

$1.82 ¥12.20

-4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.82

$1.68 ¥11.22

5.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$1.10 ¥7.38

17.27%

Eggs

$1.95 ¥13.01

$2.08 ¥13.89

-6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 ¥95.5

$19.25 ¥129

-25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.13

$3.77 ¥25.18

-12.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ¥74.3

$10.09 ¥67.5

10.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.18

$2.37 ¥15.84

-10.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.34 ¥8.97

29.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.98

$1.50 ¥10.06

39.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.30

$1.54 ¥10.27

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$0.93 ¥6.20

-25.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$0.92 ¥6.17

-1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ¥5.04

$0.68 ¥4.55

10.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.57 ¥3.83

7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ¥28.52

$4.20 ¥28.08

1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ¥93.0

$13.70 ¥91.6

1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.80 ¥5.32

27.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$1.72 ¥11.47

5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ¥4.65

$0.62 ¥4.16

11.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.82 ¥233

$17.96 ¥120

93.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.93 ¥12.89

-1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.38 ¥2.56

-7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.68

$6.96 ¥46.52

4.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$1.37 ¥9.17

-2.92%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

2.62%

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

$18.0K ¥120.6K

$18.8K ¥125.9K

-4.19%

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

$59.1 ¥395

$47.48 ¥317

24.39%

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

$8.77 ¥58.7

$10.02 ¥67.0

-12.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$14.74 ¥98.6

-3.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ¥275

$51.0 ¥341

-19.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.89 ¥166

$19.35 ¥129

28.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.74

$7.44 ¥49.77

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

$654 ¥4,375

$578 ¥3,863

13.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K ¥160.5K

$36.1K ¥241.5K

-33.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ¥476

$58.1 ¥388

22.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 ¥268

$42.37 ¥283

-5.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 ¥590

$86.5 ¥578

1.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ¥846

$110 ¥736

15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 ¥6,317

$623 ¥4,167

51.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥3,499

$390 ¥2,605

34.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 ¥15.8K

$1,199 ¥8,019

96.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$672 ¥4,495

66.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K ¥82.0K

$7,857 ¥52.5K

56.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,446 ¥43.1K

$3,778 ¥25.3K

70.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$1,583 ¥10.6K

8.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.5

-10.86%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 17, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$523 44.2%

Hangzhou

$390 38.1% 25.6% $134

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$229 19.3%

Hangzhou

$237 23.2% 3.8% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.4%

Hangzhou

$134 13.1% 8.9% $13

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$108 9.1%

Hangzhou

$100 9.8% 6.9% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 12% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Hangzhou

$66 6.4% 17.8% $10

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 41.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $623 in Hangzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Beijing (Pekin), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $237 in Hangzhou – so Beijing (Pekin) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

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

Beijing (Pekin) Hangzhou 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,535 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $26.00 in Hangzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,023 in Hangzhou. That's a gap of about 16%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hangzhou, where all-in costs run around $1,023, than in Beijing (Pekin) at $1,185. In Hangzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Beijing (Pekin) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hangzhou – 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 Hangzhou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Beijing (Pekin) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.