Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hangzhou outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $924 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $924
Hangzhou $1,020

A couple spends around $1,433 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,566 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433
Hangzhou $1,566

A family of three spends $1,942 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,112 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,942
Hangzhou $2,112

Guangzhou (Canton) is about 9% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Guangzhou (Canton) and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower, Hangzhou 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.15

$3.77 ¥25.22

-20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.30 ¥203

$25.72 ¥172

17.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.94

$4.54 ¥30.33

11.89%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥20.77

$3.35 ¥22.38

-7.16%

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

$0.53 ¥3.57

$0.59 ¥3.97

-10.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.33 ¥2.24

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ¥9.23

$1.18 ¥7.90

16.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥17.46

$2.21 ¥14.75

18.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.04

$1.86 ¥12.44

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ¥12.60

$1.59 ¥10.60

18.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$1.12 ¥7.51

2.68%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.15

$2.01 ¥13.42

-24.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.43 ¥110

$18.92 ¥127

-13.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 ¥34.78

$3.78 ¥25.25

37.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.31 ¥82.3

$10.01 ¥66.9

22.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ¥14.87

$2.28 ¥15.23

-2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.27

$1.41 ¥9.43

-12.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.62

$1.52 ¥10.16

-5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.48

$1.55 ¥10.39

10.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$0.89 ¥5.93

11.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$0.98 ¥6.57

25.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.29

$0.67 ¥4.45

17.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.34

$0.54 ¥3.61

20.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ¥24.83

$4.10 ¥27.40

-9.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 ¥70.4

$13.30 ¥89.0

-20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$0.78 ¥5.22

30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.78

$1.65 ¥11.02

15.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.63 ¥4.21

-31.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.03 ¥147

$17.61 ¥118

25.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$1.91 ¥12.76

-4.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.71

$0.38 ¥2.54

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.01 ¥46.90

$7.28 ¥48.65

-3.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥9.24

$1.31 ¥8.76

5.34%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$19.3K ¥129.2K

-0.61%

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

$17.9K ¥119.4K

$18.3K ¥122.5K

-2.56%

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

$61.5 ¥411

$47.44 ¥317

29.62%

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

$16.36 ¥109

$10.05 ¥67.2

62.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$14.50 ¥97.0

1.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 ¥468

$51.5 ¥344

35.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.38 ¥82.8

$19.69 ¥132

-37.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 ¥44.22

$7.32 ¥48.94

-9.70%

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

$1,506 ¥10.1K

$568 ¥3,801

164.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.0K

$36.2K ¥242.1K

-33.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.95 ¥334

$59.6 ¥398

-16.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 ¥280

$41.39 ¥277

1.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 ¥557

$86.2 ¥576

-3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ¥477

$109 ¥728

-34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥3,602

$626 ¥4,182

-13.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,858

$393 ¥2,628

-29.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥8,832

$1,206 ¥8,061

9.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥3,113

$672 ¥4,490

-30.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,749 ¥58.5K

$8,023 ¥53.6K

9.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,420 ¥22.9K

$3,742 ¥25.0K

-8.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 ¥8,558

$1,557 ¥10.4K

-17.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.5

-3.43%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): 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

Guangzhou (Canton)

$278 30.1%

Hangzhou

$393 38.5% 41.4% $115

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$239 25.9%

Hangzhou

$234 22.9% 2.1% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$111 12%

Hangzhou

$133 13.1% 20.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 22.2% $21

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$92 10%

Hangzhou

$98 9.6% 6.1% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$83 9%

Hangzhou

$66 6.5% 20.6% $17

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 13.3% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Guangzhou (Canton) 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.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Hangzhou, 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 Guangzhou (Canton) versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $234 – making Hangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

Same time as Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

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

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Guangzhou (Canton) Hangzhou 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Guangzhou (Canton)
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), $1,020 in Hangzhou – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,385 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) 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 Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,020 in Hangzhou. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Hangzhou at $1,020. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – 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 Guangzhou (Canton). 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.