Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $910 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hangzhou outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$910

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $910 in Dalian versus $1,020 in Hangzhou.

Dalian $910
Hangzhou $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,436 in Dalian versus $1,566 in Hangzhou.

Dalian $1,436
Hangzhou $1,566

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,961 in Dalian versus $2,112 in Hangzhou.

Dalian $1,961
Hangzhou $2,112

Living in Dalian costs roughly 11% less than in Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dalian 33% lower, Hangzhou 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.49 ¥23.33

$3.77 ¥25.19

-7.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.97 ¥167

$25.72 ¥172

-2.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥34.22

$4.54 ¥30.29

13.00%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.05

$3.35 ¥22.35

-1.49%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.59 ¥3.97

-20.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.33 ¥2.23

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.18 ¥7.89

-22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$2.21 ¥14.73

-34.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥10.86

$1.86 ¥12.42

-12.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ¥9.83

$1.59 ¥10.59

-7.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$1.12 ¥7.49

-16.07%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.45

$2.01 ¥13.40

-22.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.01 ¥134

$18.92 ¥126

5.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ¥22.40

$3.78 ¥25.22

-11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.72 ¥84.9

$10.01 ¥66.8

27.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$2.28 ¥15.21

-42.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.41 ¥9.42

-21.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.00

$1.52 ¥10.14

28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$1.55 ¥10.38

-42.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$0.89 ¥5.92

-1.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$0.98 ¥6.56

-26.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$0.67 ¥4.45

101.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.43

$0.54 ¥3.60

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.55

$4.10 ¥27.36

-6.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.50 ¥96.8

$13.30 ¥88.8

9.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ¥7.01

$0.78 ¥5.21

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥12.92

$1.65 ¥11.00

17.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.63 ¥4.20

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.43 ¥197

$17.61 ¥118

67.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.68

$1.91 ¥12.74

-24.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.38 ¥2.54

13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.17 ¥27.85

$7.28 ¥48.58

-42.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.31 ¥8.75

-3.82%

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

$19.1K ¥127.6K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

-1.11%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$18.3K ¥122.3K

-2.06%

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

$64.6 ¥431

$47.44 ¥317

36.13%

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

$8.99 ¥60.0

$10.05 ¥67.1

-10.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.47 ¥89.9

$14.50 ¥96.9

-7.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 ¥279

$51.5 ¥344

-18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.00 ¥240

$19.69 ¥131

82.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.30

$7.32 ¥48.87

-7.38%

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

$407 ¥2,720

$568 ¥3,796

-28.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K ¥135.2K

$36.2K ¥241.8K

-44.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 ¥501

$59.6 ¥398

25.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ¥369

$41.39 ¥276

33.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ¥761

$86.2 ¥575

32.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ¥801

$109 ¥727

10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 ¥2,749

$626 ¥4,177

-34.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,600

$393 ¥2,624

-39.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ¥4,713

$1,206 ¥8,049

-41.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ¥2,919

$672 ¥4,484

-34.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,650 ¥17.7K

$8,023 ¥53.6K

-66.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ¥10.7K

$3,742 ¥25.0K

-57.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 ¥7,309

$1,557 ¥10.4K

-29.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

3.5

11.14%

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

Last update for Dalian: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$240 26.3%

Hangzhou

$393 38.5% 64% $153

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$237 26%

Hangzhou

$234 22.9% 1.3% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$164 18%

Hangzhou

$133 13.1% 18.7% $31

Eating Out

Dalian

$93 10.3%

Hangzhou

$98 9.6% 5% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$87 9.6%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 17.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$55 6.1%

Hangzhou

$66 6.5% 19.4% $11

Getting Around

Dalian

$34 3.8%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 30.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $412 in Dalian and $626 in Hangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 42% 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: $25.00 in Dalian vs $26.00 in Hangzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $234, with Hangzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

Same time as Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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

Dalian Hangzhou 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

Dalian vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dalian and Hangzhou differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($910 vs $1,020 including rent). Dalian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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: $412 in Dalian versus $626 in Hangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $407 in Dalian versus $568 in Hangzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hangzhou pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $910 in Dalian versus $1,020 in Hangzhou, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian 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 Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.