Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Fuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $762 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Fuzhou
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Fuzhou Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Fuzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Hangzhou versus $762 in Fuzhou.

Hangzhou $1,020
Fuzhou $762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,566 in Hangzhou versus $1,227 in Fuzhou.

Hangzhou $1,566
Fuzhou $1,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Hangzhou versus $1,692 in Fuzhou.

Hangzhou $2,112
Fuzhou $1,692

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 34% more expensive than in Fuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 24% lower, Fuzhou 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 ¥25.22

$3.06 ¥20.47

23.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.72 ¥172

$23.06 ¥154

11.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.33

$5.08 ¥33.98

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥22.38

$2.50 ¥16.74

34.00%

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

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.47 ¥3.12

25.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.24

$0.27 ¥1.78

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$0.86 ¥5.73

37.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.75

$1.74 ¥11.66

27.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.44

$2.06 ¥13.81

-9.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$1.41 ¥9.43

12.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 ¥7.51

$0.93 ¥6.23

20.43%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥13.42

$1.55 ¥10.39

29.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.92 ¥127

$7.65 ¥51.1

147.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ¥25.25

$2.18 ¥14.58

73.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 ¥66.9

$8.97 ¥60.0

11.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.23

$1.80 ¥12.07

26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$1.32 ¥8.81

6.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$1.68 ¥11.22

-9.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.07 ¥7.14

44.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$0.84 ¥5.63

5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.01 ¥6.75

-2.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$0.44 ¥2.93

52.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.52 ¥3.49

3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 ¥27.40

$3.01 ¥20.13

36.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 ¥89.0

$10.99 ¥73.5

21.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$0.72 ¥4.81

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.22 ¥8.13

35.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.29 ¥1.93

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.61 ¥118

$23.66 ¥158

-25.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ¥12.76

$1.52 ¥10.14

25.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.29 ¥1.91

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.65

$7.28 ¥48.68

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.25 ¥8.37

4.80%

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

$19.3K ¥129.2K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

-0.39%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$15.6K ¥104.1K

17.71%

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

$47.44 ¥317

$43.17 ¥289

9.89%

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

$10.05 ¥67.2

$8.53 ¥57.1

17.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.50 ¥97.0

$8.94 ¥59.8

62.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥344

$42.27 ¥283

21.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 ¥132

$14.76 ¥98.7

33.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 ¥48.94

$7.38 ¥49.31

-0.81%

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

$568 ¥3,801

$209 ¥1,395

172.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K ¥242.1K

$12.1K ¥81.0K

198.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ¥398

$39.90 ¥267

49.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 ¥277

$29.42 ¥197

40.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 ¥576

$90.5 ¥605

-4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥728

$86.9 ¥581

25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,182

$458 ¥3,060

36.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,628

$250 ¥1,672

57.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,061

$1,038 ¥6,939

16.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,490

$514 ¥3,438

30.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,023 ¥53.6K

$4,514 ¥30.2K

77.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,742 ¥25.0K

$2,346 ¥15.7K

59.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,557 ¥10.4K

$1,006 ¥6,728

54.74%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Fuzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$393 38.5%

Fuzhou

$250 32.8% 36.4% $143

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$234 22.9%

Fuzhou

$175 23% 25.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$133 13.1%

Fuzhou

$111 14.6% 16.6% $22

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$98 9.6%

Fuzhou

$80 10.6% 17.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Fuzhou

$61 8% 15.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.5%

Fuzhou

$57 7.5% 13.8% $9.1

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Fuzhou

$28 3.6% 16% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Hangzhou and $458 in Fuzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays 55% 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 Fuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $175 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

8,291,268

💱 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 Fuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Hangzhou. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 55% 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: $626 in Hangzhou versus $458 in Fuzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fuzhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,020 per month in Hangzhou versus $762 in Fuzhou – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,020 in Hangzhou, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Hangzhou. The gap between the two cities makes Fuzhou 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 Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Hangzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.