Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Bra

For one person, living is cheaper in Hangzhou: $985 a month against $1,549 in Bra, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
Learn more

Bra Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Bra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $985 in Hangzhou versus $1,549 in Bra.

Hangzhou $985
Bra $1,549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Hangzhou versus $2,248 in Bra.

Hangzhou $1,533
Bra $2,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,080 in Hangzhou versus $2,948 in Bra.

Hangzhou $2,080
Bra $2,948

Living in Hangzhou costs roughly 36% less than in Bra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hangzhou is 28% below, Bra is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.81

$22.77 €20.46

-83.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$39.40 €35.40

-33.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.15

$11.40 €10.24

-58.95%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.18

$1.74 €1.56

100.00%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$3.79 €3.40

-83.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$1.65 €1.49

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.09

$5.43 €4.88

-77.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.82

$4.41 €3.96

-49.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$1.58 €1.42

16.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.72

$2.58 €2.32

-37.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$2.66 €2.39

-58.65%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.02

$3.21 €2.88

-34.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$12.98 €11.66

46.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.90

$11.54 €10.37

-67.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.5

$19.11 €17.17

-46.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.44

$2.27 €2.04

2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$2.11 €1.89

-36.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$2.25 €2.02

-32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$3.34 €3.00

-54.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$1.71 €1.54

-45.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$1.67 €1.50

-43.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.14 €1.03

-44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.57 €0.52

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.76

$6.68 €6.00

-39.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$6.10 €5.48

119.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$1.64 €1.47

-53.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.98

$2.21 €1.99

-25.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$1.63 €1.47

-71.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$46.35 €41.64

-61.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.05

$8.04 €7.22

-75.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$2.27 €2.04

-83.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.48

$11.21 €10.07

-37.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.75

$2.07 €1.86

-36.23%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$27.3K €24.5K

-27.80%

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

$18.4K ¥122.3K

$29.5K €26.5K

-37.67%

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

$48.04 ¥320

$112 €101

-57.26%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$10.21 €9.17

-1.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥100.0

$28.26 €25.39

-46.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$77.9 €70.0

-32.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$9.15 €8.22

-17.49%

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

$577 ¥3,837

$111 €100

417.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥238.2K

$19.0K €17.0K

88.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥401

$102 €91.3

-40.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$50.2 €45.06

-15.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥559

$114 €102

-26.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥736

$134 €121

-17.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,674

$669 €601

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$441 €396

-20.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,433

$562 €504

98.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,170

$505 €453

24.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.1

12.90%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bra: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Bra

$441 28.5% 25.4% $89

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Bra

$314 20.2% 33.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Bra

$180 11.6% 34.6% $46

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Bra

$295 19.1% 195% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Bra

$151 9.7% 106% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Bra

$96 6.2% 41.7% $28

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Bra

$72 4.7% 208% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $552 in Hangzhou and $669 in Bra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26 in Hangzhou vs $39 in Bra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $314 per month, with Hangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇮🇹 Bra

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

03:13 3:13 AM

7 h behind Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

30,224

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hangzhou Bra 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Bra

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 Bra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hangzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Bra. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hangzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,477 in Hangzhou and $2,323 in Bra 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: $552 in Hangzhou versus $669 in Bra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Hangzhou versus $111 in Bra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Bra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Hangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Bra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.