Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Handan and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Handan: $691 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Handan, China
Hangzhou, China
Handan
🇨🇳 China
$691
/mo nomad
Hangzhou
🇨🇳 China
$985
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $691 per month in Handan vs $985 in Hangzhou, rent included.

  • Handan $691
  • Hangzhou $985

A couple spends around $1,040 per month in Handan vs $1,533 in Hangzhou, rent included.

  • Handan $1,040
  • Hangzhou $1,533

A family of three spends $1,390 per month in Handan vs $2,080 in Hangzhou, rent included.

  • Handan $1,390
  • Hangzhou $2,080

Handan is about 30% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Handan and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Handan 49% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.83 ¥12.16
$3.73 ¥24.81
-50.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.67 ¥118
$26.03 ¥173
-32.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.45 ¥29.62
$4.68 ¥31.14
-4.91%
Cappuccino
$2.68 ¥17.82
$3.48 ¥23.18
-22.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 ¥2.82
$0.61 ¥4.05
-31.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 ¥1.53
$0.33 ¥2.20
-30.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.71 ¥4.75
$1.22 ¥8.08
-41.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 ¥9.83
$2.23 ¥14.82
-33.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 ¥10.10
$1.84 ¥12.22
-17.39%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 ¥4.86
$1.61 ¥10.72
-54.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.73 ¥4.88
$1.10 ¥7.33
-33.64%
Eggs
$0.98 ¥6.49
$2.11 ¥14.01
-53.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.99 ¥79.8
$19.06 ¥127
-37.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.97 ¥19.77
$3.74 ¥24.90
-20.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.4
$10.29 ¥68.5
8.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.41 ¥9.39
$2.32 ¥15.44
-39.22%
Banana (1kg)
$0.63 ¥4.17
$1.34 ¥8.93
-52.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 ¥9.57
$1.52 ¥10.11
-5.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ¥7.61
$1.53 ¥10.19
-25.49%
Potato (1kg)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$0.94 ¥6.23
-67.02%
Onion (1kg)
$0.31 ¥2.06
$0.94 ¥6.27
-67.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.56 ¥3.75
$0.63 ¥4.18
-11.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.38 ¥2.54
$0.55 ¥3.65
-30.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.74 ¥24.86
$4.02 ¥26.76
-6.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.07 ¥67.0
$13.38 ¥89.0
-24.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 ¥4.69
$0.77 ¥5.12
-9.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 ¥9.04
$1.65 ¥10.98
-17.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$0.47 ¥3.13
-34.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.24 ¥121
$17.73 ¥118
2.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.94 ¥6.25
$1.96 ¥13.05
-52.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ¥1.81
$0.38 ¥2.55
-28.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.44 ¥29.52
$6.98 ¥46.47
-36.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ¥8.75
$1.32 ¥8.75
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥129.9K
$19.7K ¥131.3K
-1.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.9K ¥99.0K
$18.4K ¥122.3K
-19.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.0 ¥486
$48.04 ¥320
51.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.58 ¥30.47
$10.04 ¥66.8
-54.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$5.09 ¥33.88
$15.02 ¥100.0
-66.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.16 ¥274
$52.8 ¥351
-22.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ¥114
$20.00 ¥133
-14.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.40 ¥29.30
$7.55 ¥50.2
-41.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$213 ¥1,419
$577 ¥3,836
-63.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.9K ¥132.5K
$35.8K ¥238.1K
-44.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.04 ¥200
$60.2 ¥401
-50.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.53 ¥283
$42.24 ¥281
0.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.47 ¥303
$84.0 ¥559
-45.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.3 ¥461
$111 ¥736
-37.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$294 ¥1,955
$552 ¥3,674
-46.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$212 ¥1,413
$352 ¥2,341
-39.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$660 ¥4,395
$1,117 ¥7,432
-40.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$338 ¥2,246
$627 ¥4,170
-46.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,801 ¥18.6K
$7,668 ¥51.0K
-63.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,092 ¥13.9K
$3,819 ¥25.4K
-45.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Handan
Hangzhou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$651 ¥4,331
$1,582 ¥10.5K
-58.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3
3.5
-14.29%

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

Last update for Handan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Handan
$212
Hangzhou
$352 65.6% $139
Groceries & Markets
Handan
$171
Hangzhou
$235 37.7% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Handan
$84
Hangzhou
$134 58.6% $49
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Handan
$83
Hangzhou
$73 11.5% $9.5
Eating Out
Handan
$69
Hangzhou
$100 44.3% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Handan
$50
Hangzhou
$68 35.8% $18
Getting Around
Handan
$22
Hangzhou
$23 7.8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Handan versus $552 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 in Hangzhou are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Handan versus $26 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $235 – making Handan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Handan
🇨🇳 Hangzhou
🕒 Local time
05:30 5:30 AM
05:30 5:30 AM
Same time as Handan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,413,990
10,360,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Handan Hangzhou 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Handan
  • 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
Handan vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Handan cheaper than Hangzhou?
Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,037 per month in Handan and $1,477 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Handan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $294 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.
Is eating out cheaper in Handan or in Hangzhou?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Handan and $26 in Hangzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Handan and in Hangzhou?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $691 in Handan and $985 in Hangzhou. That makes Handan about 30% cheaper.
Is Handan or Hangzhou more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Handan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Handan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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