Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaozhou and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,023 in Hangzhou.

Chaozhou $642
Hangzhou $1,023

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,047 in Chaozhou versus $1,574 in Hangzhou.

Chaozhou $1,047
Hangzhou $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Chaozhou versus $2,125 in Hangzhou.

Chaozhou $1,451
Hangzhou $2,125

Living in Chaozhou costs roughly 37% less than in Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chaozhou 53% lower, Hangzhou 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$3.82 ¥25.52

-40.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$25.78 ¥172

-8.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$4.72 ¥31.55

-25.00%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$3.44 ¥23.02

-55.81%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$0.61 ¥4.07

-19.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.33 ¥2.22

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$1.19 ¥7.93

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

$2.26 ¥15.11

26.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.82 ¥12.20

-16.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.68 ¥11.22

-11.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.10 ¥7.38

-33.64%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$2.08 ¥13.89

-44.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$19.25 ¥129

-50.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$3.77 ¥25.18

-33.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$10.09 ¥67.5

18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$2.37 ¥15.84

-7.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.34 ¥8.97

-29.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$1.50 ¥10.06

-38.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$1.54 ¥10.27

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.93 ¥6.20

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.92 ¥6.17

-48.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.68 ¥4.55

-36.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.57 ¥3.83

-45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$4.20 ¥28.08

-29.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$13.70 ¥91.6

-19.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$0.80 ¥5.32

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.72 ¥11.47

-31.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.62 ¥4.16

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$17.96 ¥120

0.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$1.93 ¥12.89

-48.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.38 ¥2.56

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$6.96 ¥46.52

1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.37 ¥9.17

-9.49%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

1.30%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$18.8K ¥125.9K

-6.18%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$47.48 ¥317

-7.77%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$10.02 ¥67.0

-56.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$14.74 ¥98.6

-23.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$51.0 ¥341

-19.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$19.35 ¥129

-22.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$7.44 ¥49.77

-14.52%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$578 ¥3,863

-16.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$36.1K ¥241.5K

-31.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$58.1 ¥388

-76.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$42.37 ¥283

-32.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$86.5 ¥578

1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$110 ¥736

-45.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$623 ¥4,167

-51.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$390 ¥2,605

-53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$1,199 ¥8,019

-48.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$672 ¥4,495

-44.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$7,857 ¥52.5K

-55.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$3,778 ¥25.3K

-48.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$1,583 ¥10.6K

-69.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.5

-1.14%

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

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Hangzhou

$237 23.2% 31.5% $57

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Hangzhou

$390 38.1% 117% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Hangzhou

$134 13.1% 56.3% $48

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Hangzhou

$100 9.8% 62.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 21.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Hangzhou

$66 6.4% 22.2% $12

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 12.4% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Chaozhou and $623 in Hangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 223% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Chaozhou vs $26.00 in Hangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $237 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

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

Chaozhou Hangzhou 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaozhou
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

Chaozhou vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaozhou and Hangzhou differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($642 vs $1,023 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 223% lower in Hangzhou. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $300 in Chaozhou versus $623 in Hangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Chaozhou versus $578 in Hangzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Hangzhou. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,023 in Hangzhou, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.