Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Baiquan

For one person, living is cheaper in Baiquan: $731 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Baiquan
Learn more

Baiquan Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Baiquan

🇨🇳 China

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Baiquan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hangzhou and in Baiquan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Hangzhou versus $731 in Baiquan.

Hangzhou $1,023
Baiquan $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Hangzhou versus $1,177 in Baiquan.

Hangzhou $1,574
Baiquan $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Hangzhou versus $1,623 in Baiquan.

Hangzhou $2,125
Baiquan $1,623

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 40% more expensive than in Baiquan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 24% lower, Baiquan 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ¥25.52

$2.93 ¥19.60

30.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 ¥172

$22.30 ¥149

15.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.55

$5.12 ¥34.22

-7.81%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ¥23.02

$2.80 ¥18.71

22.86%

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

$0.61 ¥4.07

$0.51 ¥3.38

19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.22

$0.29 ¥1.92

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$1.07 ¥7.12

11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$2.12 ¥14.16

6.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$1.81 ¥12.10

0.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.58 ¥10.53

6.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$1.01 ¥6.74

8.91%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥13.89

$1.68 ¥11.26

23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 ¥129

$13.20 ¥88.3

45.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$3.45 ¥23.04

9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.5

$11.23 ¥75.1

-10.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$1.83 ¥12.24

29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.29 ¥8.62

3.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$1.54 ¥10.33

-2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.32 ¥8.79

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.69 ¥4.63

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.90 ¥6.01

2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.55

$0.63 ¥4.18

7.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.59 ¥3.94

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥28.08

$3.77 ¥25.18

11.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 ¥91.6

$11.46 ¥76.6

19.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$0.88 ¥5.91

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.55 ¥10.38

10.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.29 ¥1.91

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.96 ¥120

$18.19 ¥122

-1.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$1.45 ¥9.72

33.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.36 ¥2.39

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 ¥46.52

$7.01 ¥46.87

-0.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.17

$1.31 ¥8.74

4.58%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

-1.36%

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

$18.8K ¥125.9K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

7.07%

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

$47.48 ¥317

$58.6 ¥392

-18.96%

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

$10.02 ¥67.0

$8.58 ¥57.4

16.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.6

$11.38 ¥76.1

29.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥341

$41.43 ¥277

23.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.35 ¥129

$15.06 ¥101

28.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.77

$6.32 ¥42.23

17.72%

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

$578 ¥3,863

$414 ¥2,767

39.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.5K

$17.1K ¥114.6K

110.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ¥388

$42.47 ¥284

36.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$33.93 ¥227

24.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 ¥578

$73.4 ¥491

17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$75.1 ¥502

46.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,167

$302 ¥2,022

106.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥2,605

$181 ¥1,208

115.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥8,019

$635 ¥4,248

88.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,495

$382 ¥2,555

75.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,857 ¥52.5K

$3,478 ¥23.3K

125.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 ¥25.3K

$1,913 ¥12.8K

97.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 ¥10.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.36

4.17%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Baiquan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$390 38.1%

Baiquan

$181 24.7% 53.6% $209

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.2%

Baiquan

$209 28.5% 12% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.1%

Baiquan

$101 13.9% 24.3% $32

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 9.8%

Baiquan

$85 11.7% 15.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Baiquan

$79 10.8% 8.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.4%

Baiquan

$54 7.4% 18% $12

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Baiquan

$23 3.1% 7.1% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Hangzhou and $302 in Baiquan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Hangzhou vs $22.00 in Baiquan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $209 per month, with Baiquan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Baiquan

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hangzhou Baiquan 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Baiquan

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

Hangzhou vs Baiquan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baiquan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,535 in Hangzhou and $1,096 in Baiquan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $623 in Hangzhou versus $302 in Baiquan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $578 in Hangzhou versus $414 in Baiquan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Hangzhou. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $731 in Baiquan versus $1,023 in Hangzhou, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baiquan but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Baiquan 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.

Safety-wise, Hangzhou and Baiquan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baiquan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.