Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Chenzhou

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $721 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Chenzhou $721

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,197 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Chenzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,674 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Chenzhou $1,674

Hangzhou costs about 37% more than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.81

$3.03 ¥20.15

23.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$22.13 ¥147

17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.15

$4.86 ¥32.33

-3.70%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.18

$1.54 ¥10.24

125.97%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.51 ¥3.41

19.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.27 ¥1.80

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.09

$1.29 ¥8.58

-5.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.82

$1.89 ¥12.59

17.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$1.97 ¥13.09

-6.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.72

$2.38 ¥15.83

-32.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$0.79 ¥5.23

39.24%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.02

$1.72 ¥11.46

22.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$13.15 ¥87.5

44.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.90

$4.13 ¥27.47

-9.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.5

$11.57 ¥77.0

-11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.44

$0.59 ¥3.92

293.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.18 ¥7.82

13.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$0.73 ¥4.87

108.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.19 ¥7.89

28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$0.97 ¥6.49

-3.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$1.54 ¥10.24

-38.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$0.61 ¥4.04

3.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.49 ¥3.23

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.76

$3.02 ¥20.08

33.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$12.71 ¥84.6

5.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$1.04 ¥6.91

-25.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.98

$1.57 ¥10.45

5.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.31 ¥2.05

51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$15.40 ¥103

15.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.05

$1.52 ¥10.09

28.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.29 ¥1.93

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.48

$4.60 ¥30.59

51.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.75

$1.29 ¥8.59

2.33%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.3K ¥128.3K

2.29%

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

$18.4K ¥122.3K

$17.4K ¥115.6K

5.80%

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

$48.04 ¥320

$56.3 ¥375

-14.70%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$8.94 ¥59.5

12.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥100.0

$11.27 ¥75.0

33.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$42.59 ¥283

23.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$14.67 ¥97.6

36.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$6.48 ¥43.13

16.51%

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

$577 ¥3,837

$329 ¥2,188

75.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥238.2K

$16.9K ¥112.3K

112.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥401

$84.2 ¥561

-28.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$35.01 ¥233

20.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥559

$89.1 ¥593

-5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥736

$58.9 ¥392

87.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,674

$310 ¥2,061

78.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$163 ¥1,086

115.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,433

$584 ¥3,885

91.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,170

$414 ¥2,753

51.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

$3,531 ¥23.5K

117.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

$1,917 ¥12.8K

99.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

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 Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Chenzhou

$163 22.6% 53.6% $189

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Chenzhou

$215 29.8% 8.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Chenzhou

$120 16.7% 10.1% $13

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Chenzhou

$71 9.8% 29.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Chenzhou

$77 10.6% 4.7% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Chenzhou

$56 7.7% 18.2% $12

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Chenzhou

$20 2.7% 16.6% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Hangzhou versus $310 in Chenzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $22 in Chenzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $215 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

4,667,134

💱 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

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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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $985 in Hangzhou, $721 in Chenzhou – Chenzhou comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Hangzhou and $1,081 in Chenzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $577 per month in Hangzhou and $329 in Chenzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $985 in Hangzhou and $721 in Chenzhou, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chenzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.