Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Changchun

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $904 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Changchun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Hangzhou versus $904 in Changchun.

Hangzhou $1,023
Changchun $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Hangzhou versus $1,324 in Changchun.

Hangzhou $1,574
Changchun $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Hangzhou versus $1,743 in Changchun.

Hangzhou $2,125
Changchun $1,743

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 13% more expensive than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 24% lower, Changchun 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ¥25.46

$3.02 ¥20.17

26.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 ¥172

$22.15 ¥148

16.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.48

$5.19 ¥34.59

-9.06%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ¥22.96

$2.40 ¥15.98

43.33%

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

$0.61 ¥4.06

$0.47 ¥3.14

29.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.21

$0.31 ¥2.09

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$1.21 ¥8.10

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.07

$1.91 ¥12.71

18.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.17

$1.90 ¥12.67

-4.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$1.22 ¥8.14

37.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.36

$1.44 ¥9.63

-23.61%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥13.86

$1.81 ¥12.09

14.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 ¥128

$34.55 ¥230

-44.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ¥25.12

$5.71 ¥38.06

-33.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.3

$10.36 ¥69.1

-2.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.81

$1.72 ¥11.48

37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.45 ¥9.69

-7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$1.80 ¥12.02

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.25

$1.89 ¥12.63

-18.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.18

$0.89 ¥5.94

4.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.54

$0.58 ¥3.88

17.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$1.47 ¥9.77

-61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥28.01

$3.78 ¥25.21

11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 ¥91.4

$21.06 ¥140

-34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.31

$0.92 ¥6.11

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.44

$1.10 ¥7.35

56.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.44 ¥2.91

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.96 ¥120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.86

$1.24 ¥8.24

55.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.31 ¥2.08

22.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 ¥46.41

$3.02 ¥20.13

130.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.15

$1.28 ¥8.56

7.03%

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

$19.1K ¥127.6K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

-1.08%

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

$18.8K ¥125.6K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

5.87%

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

$47.48 ¥317

$76.7 ¥511

-38.07%

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

$10.02 ¥66.9

$4.43 ¥29.56

126.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.3

$14.76 ¥98.4

-0.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥340

$37.44 ¥250

36.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.35 ¥129

$4.13 ¥27.52

368.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.65

$6.64 ¥44.31

12.05%

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

$578 ¥3,854

$553 ¥3,692

4.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.0K

$21.9K ¥145.8K

65.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ¥387

$73.7 ¥492

-21.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$44.44 ¥296

-4.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 ¥577

$60.2 ¥401

43.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥734

$69.7 ¥465

57.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,157

$216 ¥1,443

188.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥2,599

$246 ¥1,644

58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥8,000

$576 ¥3,839

108.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,485

$308 ¥2,052

118.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,857 ¥52.4K

$1,668 ¥11.1K

370.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 ¥25.2K

$1,006 ¥6,711

275.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 ¥10.6K

$961 ¥6,408

64.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.37

-19.91%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$390 38.1%

Changchun

$246 27.3% 36.7% $143

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.2%

Changchun

$313 * 34.6% 31.9% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.1%

Changchun

$112 12.4% 16.5% $22

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 9.8%

Changchun

$82 9% 18.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Changchun

$96 10.6% 32.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.4%

Changchun

$51 5.6% 23% $15

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5% 81.3% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Hangzhou and $216 in Changchun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 65% 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 $22.00 in Changchun. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $313, with Hangzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

9,066,906

💱 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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Hangzhou Changchun 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Hangzhou
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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 Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 65% 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: $623 in Hangzhou versus $216 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $578 in Hangzhou versus $553 in Changchun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Changchun versus $1,023 in Hangzhou, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.