Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $726 in Chengdu, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Chengdu $726

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,170 in Chengdu, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Chengdu $1,170

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,614 in Chengdu, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Chengdu $1,614

Hangzhou costs about 36% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hangzhou and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 28% lower, Chengdu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.92 ¥19.43

27.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$22.28 ¥148

16.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.14

$4.85 ¥32.28

-3.51%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.17

$3.00 ¥19.94

16.00%

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

$0.26 ¥1.73

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.08

$1.51 ¥10.06

-19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.82

$2.28 ¥15.20

-2.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$1.85 ¥12.29

-0.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.72

$1.49 ¥9.89

8.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$0.99 ¥6.58

11.11%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.01

$1.61 ¥10.70

31.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$14.31 ¥95.2

33.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.90

$3.64 ¥24.25

2.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.5

$11.02 ¥73.3

-6.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.43

$1.90 ¥12.62

22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.92

$1.39 ¥9.23

-3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$1.04 ¥6.91

46.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.20 ¥7.97

27.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.22

$0.74 ¥4.91

27.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$0.69 ¥4.56

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$0.64 ¥4.23

-1.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.58 ¥3.83

-5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.75

$3.69 ¥24.53

8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥89.0

$4.37 ¥29.08

206.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$0.84 ¥5.58

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.98

$1.48 ¥9.82

11.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.29 ¥1.93

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$25.23 ¥168

-29.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.05

$1.33 ¥8.83

47.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.31 ¥2.07

22.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.47

$4.37 ¥29.07

59.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.75

$1.27 ¥8.48

3.94%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

0.42%

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

$18.4K ¥122.3K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

1.86%

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

$48.04 ¥320

$46.65 ¥310

2.98%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$9.40 ¥62.6

6.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥100.0

$12.87 ¥85.6

16.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$27.11 ¥180

94.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$11.21 ¥74.6

78.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$6.17 ¥41.02

22.37%

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

$577 ¥3,836

$1,161 ¥7,724

-50.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥238.1K

$15.3K ¥101.5K

134.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥401

$25.36 ¥169

137.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$27.52 ¥183

53.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥559

$57.1 ¥380

47.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥736

$53.2 ¥354

107.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,673

$425 ¥2,829

29.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,340

$231 ¥1,540

51.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,431

$755 ¥5,026

47.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,170

$478 ¥3,178

31.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

$3,476 ¥23.1K

120.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

$1,845 ¥12.3K

106.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$1,278 ¥8,502

23.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.38

3.55%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Chengdu

$231 31.9% 34.2% $120

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Chengdu

$195 26.8% 17.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Chengdu

$73 10.1% 45.1% $60

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Chengdu

$89 12.3% 10.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Chengdu

$69 9.5% 5.7% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Chengdu

$39 5.4% 41.9% $28

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Chengdu

$29 4% 24.6% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Hangzhou versus $425 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Hangzhou, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $22 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $195 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

20,937,757

💱 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 Chengdu 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $985 in Hangzhou, $726 in Chengdu – Chengdu comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Hangzhou and $1,090 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou and $22 in Chengdu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $985 in Hangzhou and $726 in Chengdu. That makes Chengdu about 26% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $985 in Hangzhou and $726 in Chengdu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

If budget matters most, go with Chengdu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.