Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $783 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
Learn more

Changsha Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Changsha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $985 in Hangzhou versus $783 in Changsha.

Hangzhou $985
Changsha $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Hangzhou versus $1,282 in Changsha.

Hangzhou $1,533
Changsha $1,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,080 in Hangzhou versus $1,780 in Changsha.

Hangzhou $2,080
Changsha $1,780

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 26% more expensive than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 28% lower, Changsha 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.78

$2.96 ¥19.66

26.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$22.41 ¥149

16.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.10

$4.90 ¥32.55

-4.49%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.15

$3.34 ¥22.20

4.19%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.51 ¥3.38

19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.27 ¥1.81

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.07

$1.24 ¥8.23

-1.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.80

$1.90 ¥12.59

17.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.20

$1.97 ¥13.07

-6.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$2.37 ¥15.75

-32.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$0.94 ¥6.27

17.02%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.00

$1.72 ¥11.43

22.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$12.99 ¥86.3

46.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.87

$4.10 ¥27.27

-8.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.4

$11.65 ¥77.4

-11.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.41

$2.84 ¥18.88

-18.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.91

$1.39 ¥9.26

-3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.09

$1.93 ¥12.81

-21.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.18

$2.02 ¥13.44

-24.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.22

$0.96 ¥6.38

-2.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$1.66 ¥11.02

-43.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.17

$0.65 ¥4.33

-3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.49 ¥3.27

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.72

$2.92 ¥19.38

37.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$12.72 ¥84.5

5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.11

$1.03 ¥6.85

-25.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$1.54 ¥10.25

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.35 ¥2.34

34.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$14.75 ¥98.0

20.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.03

$1.48 ¥9.81

32.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.31 ¥2.09

22.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.41

$4.56 ¥30.27

53.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.74

$1.26 ¥8.39

4.76%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$19.9K ¥131.9K

-0.65%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$17.8K ¥118.4K

3.16%

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

$48.04 ¥319

$56.1 ¥373

-14.38%

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

$10.04 ¥66.7

$9.08 ¥60.3

10.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥99.8

$13.61 ¥90.4

10.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$54.8 ¥364

-3.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$24.80 ¥165

-19.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$6.54 ¥43.48

15.44%

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

$577 ¥3,831

$326 ¥2,169

76.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥237.8K

$17.2K ¥114.1K

108.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥400

$84.4 ¥561

-28.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$34.62 ¥230

22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥558

$90.0 ¥598

-6.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥735

$61.2 ¥406

80.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,669

$266 ¥1,769

107.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,337

$167 ¥1,109

110.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,422

$559 ¥3,716

99.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,164

$381 ¥2,532

64.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

$2,482 ¥16.5K

208.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

$1,414 ¥9,399

170.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$1,104 ¥7,337

43.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.46

1.16%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Changsha

$167 21.3% 52.5% $185

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Changsha

$237 30.3% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Changsha

$122 15.5% 9.1% $12

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Changsha

$92 11.7% 8.4% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Changsha

$79 10.1% 7.8% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 0% $0

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 18.2% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $552 in Hangzhou and $266 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Hangzhou vs $22 in Changsha. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $237, with Hangzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

5,289,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hangzhou Changsha 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Changsha

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 Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $985 in Hangzhou and $783 in Changsha, so Changsha is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% 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: $552 in Hangzhou versus $266 in Changsha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Hangzhou versus $326 in Changsha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22 versus $26 in Hangzhou. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Changsha gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Changsha is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hangzhou, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Changsha wins on affordability, Hangzhou on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.