Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Chaozhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Hangzhou versus $642 in Chaozhou.

Hangzhou $1,023
Chaozhou $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Hangzhou versus $1,047 in Chaozhou.

Hangzhou $1,574
Chaozhou $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Hangzhou versus $1,451 in Chaozhou.

Hangzhou $2,125
Chaozhou $1,451

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 59% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 24% lower, Chaozhou 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ¥25.52

$2.26 ¥15.10

69.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 ¥172

$23.63 ¥158

9.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.55

$3.54 ¥23.65

33.33%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ¥23.02

$1.52 ¥10.18

126.32%

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

$0.61 ¥4.07

$0.49 ¥3.29

24.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.22

$0.29 ¥1.93

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$1.17 ¥7.83

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$2.87 ¥19.20

-21.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$1.52 ¥10.19

19.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.48 ¥9.88

13.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$0.73 ¥4.87

50.68%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥13.89

$1.16 ¥7.74

79.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 ¥129

$9.61 ¥64.2

100.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$2.52 ¥16.85

49.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.5

$11.99 ¥80.1

-15.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$2.20 ¥14.74

7.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$0.94 ¥6.29

42.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$0.92 ¥6.16

63.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.76 ¥11.77

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.62 ¥4.15

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.47 ¥3.15

95.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.55

$0.43 ¥2.88

58.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.31 ¥2.08

83.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥28.08

$2.95 ¥19.76

42.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 ¥91.6

$11.03 ¥73.8

24.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$0.72 ¥4.84

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.17 ¥7.84

47.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.29 ¥1.92

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.96 ¥120

$18.02 ¥121

-0.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$1.00 ¥6.71

93.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.29 ¥1.91

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 ¥46.52

$7.03 ¥47.02

-1.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.17

$1.24 ¥8.26

10.48%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

-1.29%

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

$18.8K ¥125.9K

$17.7K ¥118.1K

6.59%

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

$47.48 ¥317

$43.79 ¥293

8.43%

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

$10.02 ¥67.0

$4.32 ¥28.86

131.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.6

$11.32 ¥75.7

30.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥341

$41.24 ¥276

23.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.35 ¥129

$15.04 ¥101

28.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.77

$6.36 ¥42.53

16.98%

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

$578 ¥3,863

$483 ¥3,231

19.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.5K

$24.7K ¥165.0K

46.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ¥388

$13.41 ¥89.7

332.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$28.46 ¥190

48.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 ¥578

$88.1 ¥589

-1.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$60.0 ¥401

83.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,167

$300 ¥2,003

108.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥2,605

$179 ¥1,200

117.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥8,019

$624 ¥4,169

92.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,495

$376 ¥2,513

78.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,857 ¥52.5K

$3,524 ¥23.6K

122.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 ¥25.3K

$1,951 ¥13.0K

93.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 ¥10.6K

$490 ¥3,279

222.71%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$390 38.1%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 53.9% $210

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.2%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 24% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.1%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 36% $48

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 9.8%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 38.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 17.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.4%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 18.1% $12

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 11% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Hangzhou and $300 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 223% 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 $24.00 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $180 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

2,568,387

💱 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 Chaozhou 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hangzhou and Chaozhou differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,023 vs $642 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 223% 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 $300 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $578 in Hangzhou versus $483 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Hangzhou. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $1,023 in Hangzhou, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.