Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,023 in Hangzhou versus $815 in Dongguan.

Hangzhou $1,023
Dongguan $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Hangzhou versus $1,295 in Dongguan.

Hangzhou $1,574
Dongguan $1,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Hangzhou versus $1,775 in Dongguan.

Hangzhou $2,125
Dongguan $1,775

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 24% lower, Dongguan 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ¥25.52

$2.64 ¥17.64

44.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 ¥172

$22.83 ¥153

12.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.55

$5.20 ¥34.75

-9.23%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ¥23.02

$2.61 ¥17.44

31.80%

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

$0.61 ¥4.07

$0.48 ¥3.18

27.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.22

$0.31 ¥2.09

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$0.88 ¥5.90

35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$2.23 ¥14.88

1.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$1.59 ¥10.61

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$1.63 ¥10.93

3.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$0.97 ¥6.50

13.40%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥13.89

$1.59 ¥10.66

30.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 ¥129

$21.14 ¥141

-8.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$3.28 ¥21.96

14.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.5

$14.27 ¥95.4

-29.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$2.25 ¥15.03

5.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.56 ¥10.45

-14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$1.85 ¥12.39

-18.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.49 ¥9.98

3.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.04 ¥6.95

-10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.24 ¥8.30

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.55

$0.56 ¥3.75

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.58 ¥3.90

-1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥28.08

$4.45 ¥29.79

-5.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 ¥91.6

$12.18 ¥81.5

12.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$0.92 ¥6.17

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.76 ¥11.74

-2.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.35 ¥2.37

77.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.96 ¥120

$22.38 ¥150

-19.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$1.18 ¥7.86

63.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.41 ¥2.75

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 ¥46.52

$4.44 ¥29.68

56.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.17

$1.31 ¥8.77

4.58%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

-0.86%

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

$18.8K ¥125.9K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

6.73%

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

$47.48 ¥317

$63.1 ¥422

-24.69%

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

$10.02 ¥67.0

$9.11 ¥60.9

9.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.6

$12.96 ¥86.7

13.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥341

$51.6 ¥345

-1.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.35 ¥129

$16.09 ¥108

20.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.77

$7.53 ¥50.3

-1.20%

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

$578 ¥3,863

$531 ¥3,550

8.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.5K

$24.3K ¥162.8K

48.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ¥388

$46.78 ¥313

24.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$40.30 ¥269

5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 ¥578

$72.5 ¥485

19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$39.04 ¥261

181.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,167

$380 ¥2,538

64.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥2,605

$219 ¥1,461

78.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥8,019

$662 ¥4,423

81.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,495

$431 ¥2,884

55.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,857 ¥52.5K

$5,650 ¥37.8K

39.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 ¥25.3K

$3,075 ¥20.6K

22.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 ¥10.6K

$856 ¥5,725

84.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.35

4.48%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$390 38.1%

Dongguan

$219 26.8% 43.9% $171

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.2%

Dongguan

$248 30.4% 4.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.1%

Dongguan

$89 11% 33.1% $44

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 9.8%

Dongguan

$80 9.8% 20.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Dongguan

$85 10.5% 17.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.4%

Dongguan

$67 8.2% 1.2% $0.8

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 11.3% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $623 in Hangzhou and $380 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 85% 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 $23.00 in Dongguan. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $248, with Hangzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

8,254,100

💱 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 Dongguan 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 85% 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 $380 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 25% less than in Hangzhou. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $578 in Hangzhou versus $531 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $1,023 in Hangzhou, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.