Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Benxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $692 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Benxi

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $692 in Benxi, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Benxi $692

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $991 in Benxi, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Benxi $991

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,291 in Benxi, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Benxi $1,291

Hangzhou costs about 42% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.78

$3.04 ¥20.19

22.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$22.33 ¥148

16.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.10

$5.31 ¥35.25

-11.86%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.15

$2.40 ¥15.98

45.00%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.51 ¥3.39

19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.29 ¥1.89

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.07

$0.73 ¥4.84

67.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.80

$1.76 ¥11.69

26.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.20

$1.85 ¥12.28

-0.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$1.22 ¥8.08

31.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$0.84 ¥5.60

30.95%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.00

$1.60 ¥10.65

31.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$10.00 ¥66.4

90.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.87

$2.85 ¥18.92

31.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.4

$8.92 ¥59.3

15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.41

$1.62 ¥10.74

43.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.91

$1.38 ¥9.17

-2.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.09

$1.62 ¥10.76

-6.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.18

$1.37 ¥9.12

11.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.22

$0.58 ¥3.88

62.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$1.85 ¥12.26

-49.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.17

$0.61 ¥4.09

3.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.69 ¥4.57

-20.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.72

$2.97 ¥19.75

35.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$8.24 ¥54.7

62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.11

$0.58 ¥3.85

32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$1.25 ¥8.30

32.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.31 ¥2.09

51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$12.21 ¥81.1

45.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.03

$0.88 ¥5.84

122.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.29 ¥1.91

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.41

$2.98 ¥19.82

134.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.74

$1.13 ¥7.53

16.81%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$19.8K ¥131.7K

-0.43%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$18.0K ¥119.4K

2.31%

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

$48.04 ¥319

$54.4 ¥361

-11.63%

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

$10.04 ¥66.7

$6.70 ¥44.51

49.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥99.8

$10.41 ¥69.2

44.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$66.3 ¥441

-20.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$8.31 ¥55.2

140.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$6.03 ¥40.08

25.21%

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

$577 ¥3,831

$449 ¥2,985

28.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥237.8K

$8,894 ¥59.1K

302.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥400

$29.74 ¥198

102.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$32.77 ¥218

28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥558

$60.2 ¥400

39.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥735

$52.4 ¥348

111.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,669

$137 ¥907

304.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,337

$189 ¥1,259

85.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,422

$258 ¥1,711

333.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,164

$153 ¥1,015

310.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

$3,371 ¥22.4K

127.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

$1,941 ¥12.9K

96.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$447 ¥2,971

253.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

-12.50%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Benxi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Benxi

$189 27.4% 46.2% $162

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Benxi

$179 25.9% 23.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Benxi

$79 11.4% 41.1% $55

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Benxi

$79 11.5% 20.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Benxi

$71 10.3% 2.2% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Benxi

$78 11.3% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Benxi

$16 2.3% 32.8% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Hangzhou versus $137 in Benxi. 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 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $22 in Benxi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $179 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Benxi

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

809,655

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hangzhou Benxi 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Benxi

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 Benxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hangzhou costs about 42% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Hangzhou and $1,039 in Benxi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benxi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

Kindergarten costs $577 per month in Hangzhou and $449 in Benxi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Hangzhou at $985. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benxi – 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 Benxi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.