Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Bengbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
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Bengbu Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Bengbu

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 Bengbu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Hangzhou versus $666 in Bengbu.

Hangzhou $1,020
Bengbu $666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,566 in Hangzhou versus $1,043 in Bengbu.

Hangzhou $1,566
Bengbu $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Hangzhou versus $1,420 in Bengbu.

Hangzhou $2,112
Bengbu $1,420

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 53% more expensive than in Bengbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 24% lower, Bengbu 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 ¥25.22

$2.31 ¥15.42

63.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.72 ¥172

$10.50 ¥70.2

144.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.33

$4.76 ¥31.80

-4.62%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥22.38

$3.15 ¥21.08

6.35%

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

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.47 ¥3.16

25.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.24

$0.25 ¥1.66

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.45 ¥9.67

-18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.75

$2.21 ¥14.74

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.44

$2.18 ¥14.56

-14.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$1.02 ¥6.82

55.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 ¥7.51

$0.72 ¥4.85

55.56%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥13.42

$1.32 ¥8.82

52.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.92 ¥127

$10.42 ¥69.7

81.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ¥25.25

$3.04 ¥20.30

24.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 ¥66.9

$9.00 ¥60.2

11.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.23

$1.50 ¥10.03

52.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$1.07 ¥7.13

31.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$0.78 ¥5.22

98.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$0.62 ¥4.16

43.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.63 ¥4.20

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$0.76 ¥5.09

-11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.43 ¥2.90

25.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 ¥27.40

$2.93 ¥19.56

39.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 ¥89.0

$6.10 ¥40.82

118.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$0.76 ¥5.11

2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.47 ¥9.86

12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.31 ¥2.09

103.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.61 ¥118

$20.48 ¥137

-14.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ¥12.76

$1.61 ¥10.76

18.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.38 ¥2.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.65

$9.15 ¥61.2

-20.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.29 ¥8.66

1.55%

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

$19.3K ¥129.2K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

0.61%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

10.14%

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

$47.44 ¥317

$36.70 ¥245

29.26%

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

$10.05 ¥67.2

$5.39 ¥36.01

86.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.50 ¥97.0

$7.07 ¥47.24

105.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥344

$41.28 ¥276

24.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 ¥132

$16.25 ¥109

21.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 ¥48.94

$5.99 ¥40.07

22.20%

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

$568 ¥3,801

$417 ¥2,788

36.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K ¥242.1K

$22.1K ¥147.9K

63.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ¥398

$43.41 ¥290

37.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 ¥277

$33.77 ¥226

22.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 ¥576

$66.1 ¥442

30.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥728

$88.5 ¥592

23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,182

$294 ¥1,969

112.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,628

$181 ¥1,209

117.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,061

$586 ¥3,920

105.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,490

$349 ¥2,334

92.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,023 ¥53.6K

$3,507 ¥23.4K

128.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,742 ¥25.0K

$2,194 ¥14.7K

70.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,557 ¥10.4K

$668 ¥4,468

132.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.42

2.34%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$393 38.5%

Bengbu

$181 27.2% 54% $212

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$234 22.9%

Bengbu

$168 25.2% 28.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$133 13.1%

Bengbu

$104 15.7% 21.7% $29

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$98 9.6%

Bengbu

$85 12.8% 13.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Bengbu

$49 7.4% 31.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.5%

Bengbu

$53 8% 19.5% $13

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Bengbu

$25 3.8% 5.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Hangzhou and $294 in Bengbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 133% 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: $26.00 in Hangzhou vs $11.00 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $168 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

3,296,408

💱 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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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 Bengbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Hangzhou, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $626 in Hangzhou versus $294 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Hangzhou versus $417 in Bengbu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Hangzhou. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $1,020 in Hangzhou, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu 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 Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.