Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hangzhou outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Hangzhou vs $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Hangzhou $1,020
Guangzhou (Canton) $924

A couple spends around $1,566 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,433 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Hangzhou $1,566
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433

A family of three spends $2,112 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,942 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Hangzhou $2,112
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,942

Hangzhou costs about 10% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hangzhou and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 24% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 ¥25.22

$3.01 ¥20.15

25.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.72 ¥172

$30.30 ¥203

-15.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.33

$5.08 ¥33.94

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥22.38

$3.11 ¥20.77

7.72%

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

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.53 ¥3.57

11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.24

$0.36 ¥2.41

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.38 ¥9.23

-14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.75

$2.61 ¥17.46

-15.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.44

$1.80 ¥12.04

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$1.88 ¥12.60

-15.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 ¥7.51

$1.15 ¥7.68

-2.61%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥13.42

$1.52 ¥10.15

32.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.92 ¥127

$16.43 ¥110

15.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ¥25.25

$5.20 ¥34.78

-27.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 ¥66.9

$12.31 ¥82.3

-18.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.23

$2.22 ¥14.87

2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$1.24 ¥8.27

13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$1.44 ¥9.62

5.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.72 ¥11.48

-9.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$0.99 ¥6.63

-10.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.23 ¥8.21

-20.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$0.79 ¥5.29

-15.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.65 ¥4.34

-16.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 ¥27.40

$3.71 ¥24.83

10.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 ¥89.0

$10.53 ¥70.4

26.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.02 ¥6.84

-23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.91 ¥12.78

-13.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.43 ¥2.86

46.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.61 ¥118

$22.03 ¥147

-20.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ¥12.76

$1.82 ¥12.20

4.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.41 ¥2.71

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.65

$7.01 ¥46.90

3.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.38 ¥9.24

-5.07%

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

$19.3K ¥129.2K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

0.62%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$17.9K ¥119.4K

2.63%

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

$47.44 ¥317

$61.5 ¥411

-22.85%

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

$10.05 ¥67.2

$16.36 ¥109

-38.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.50 ¥97.0

$14.69 ¥98.2

-1.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥344

$70.1 ¥468

-26.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 ¥132

$12.38 ¥82.8

59.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 ¥48.94

$6.61 ¥44.22

10.74%

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

$568 ¥3,801

$1,506 ¥10.1K

-62.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K ¥242.1K

$24.1K ¥161.0K

50.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ¥398

$49.95 ¥334

19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 ¥277

$41.83 ¥280

-1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 ¥576

$83.3 ¥557

3.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥728

$71.3 ¥477

52.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,182

$539 ¥3,602

16.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,628

$278 ¥1,858

41.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,061

$1,321 ¥8,832

-8.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,490

$466 ¥3,113

44.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,023 ¥53.6K

$8,749 ¥58.5K

-8.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,742 ¥25.0K

$3,420 ¥22.9K

9.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,557 ¥10.4K

$1,280 ¥8,558

21.65%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$393 38.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$278 30.1% 29.3% $115

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$234 22.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$239 25.9% 2.2% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$133 13.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$111 12% 16.8% $22

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$98 9.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$92 10% 5.8% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10% 28.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$83 9% 25.9% $17

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3% 15.3% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Hangzhou versus $539 in Guangzhou (Canton). 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 22% 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 $26.00 in Hangzhou versus $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $239 – making Hangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

14,043,500

💱 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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Between locations

Hangzhou Guangzhou (Canton) 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
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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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,020 in Hangzhou, $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,530 per month in Hangzhou and $1,385 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,020 in Hangzhou and $924 in Guangzhou (Canton). That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Hangzhou at $1,020. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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