Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Cixi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Hangzhou versus $709 in Cixi.

Hangzhou $1,023
Cixi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Hangzhou versus $1,125 in Cixi.

Hangzhou $1,574
Cixi $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Hangzhou versus $1,542 in Cixi.

Hangzhou $2,125
Cixi $1,542

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 44% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 24% lower, Cixi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ¥25.52

$2.75 ¥18.38

38.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 ¥172

$21.47 ¥144

20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.55

$4.78 ¥31.99

-1.26%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ¥23.02

$2.98 ¥19.94

15.44%

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

$0.61 ¥4.07

$0.43 ¥2.88

41.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.22

$0.29 ¥1.94

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$0.94 ¥6.30

26.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$2.12 ¥14.19

6.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$1.87 ¥12.50

-2.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.57 ¥10.48

7.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$0.97 ¥6.51

13.40%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥13.89

$1.54 ¥10.30

35.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 ¥129

$12.61 ¥84.3

52.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$3.12 ¥20.89

20.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.5

$10.08 ¥67.4

0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$1.81 ¥12.10

30.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.25 ¥8.36

7.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$1.54 ¥10.30

-2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.09 ¥7.29

41.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.70 ¥4.65

32.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.94 ¥6.30

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.55

$0.59 ¥3.96

15.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.54 ¥3.63

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥28.08

$3.05 ¥20.39

37.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 ¥91.6

$10.52 ¥70.3

30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$0.74 ¥4.93

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.64 ¥10.96

4.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.29 ¥1.96

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.96 ¥120

$16.43 ¥110

9.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$1.43 ¥9.54

34.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.36 ¥2.38

5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 ¥46.52

$6.57 ¥43.90

5.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.17

$1.13 ¥7.54

21.24%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

0.02%

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

$18.8K ¥125.9K

$17.4K ¥116.5K

8.03%

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

$47.48 ¥317

$45.68 ¥305

3.94%

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

$10.02 ¥67.0

$9.85 ¥65.8

1.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.6

$11.86 ¥79.3

24.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥341

$41.22 ¥276

23.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.35 ¥129

$13.86 ¥92.7

39.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.77

$5.82 ¥38.92

27.84%

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

$578 ¥3,863

$334 ¥2,231

73.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.5K

$16.5K ¥110.6K

118.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ¥388

$42.93 ¥287

35.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$30.21 ¥202

40.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 ¥578

$71.7 ¥479

20.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$72.1 ¥482

52.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,167

$280 ¥1,875

122.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥2,605

$190 ¥1,268

105.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥8,019

$590 ¥3,942

103.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,495

$358 ¥2,394

87.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,857 ¥52.5K

$3,020 ¥20.2K

160.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 ¥25.3K

$2,070 ¥13.8K

82.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 ¥10.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.89

-10.03%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$390 38.1%

Cixi

$190 26.7% 51.3% $200

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.2%

Cixi

$197 27.8% 16.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.1%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 27% $36

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 9.8%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 16.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Cixi

$67 9.5% 6.7% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.4%

Cixi

$53 7.5% 19.8% $13

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 14.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Hangzhou and $280 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Hangzhou vs $21.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $197 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

1,829,488

💱 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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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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Hangzhou. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,535 in Hangzhou and $1,064 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $623 in Hangzhou versus $280 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $578 in Hangzhou versus $334 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Hangzhou. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Cixi versus $1,023 in Hangzhou, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $709 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Hangzhou and Cixi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.