Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $655 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Guilin

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $655 in Guilin, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Guilin $655

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,046 in Guilin, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Guilin $1,046

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,436 in Guilin, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Guilin $1,436

Hangzhou costs about 50% more than Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hangzhou and Guilin are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 28% lower, Guilin 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.75

$2.21 ¥14.67

68.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$15.11 ¥100

72.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.06

$3.02 ¥20.02

54.97%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.12

$2.07 ¥13.71

68.12%

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

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.40 ¥2.65

52.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.31 ¥2.08

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.06

$0.83 ¥5.53

46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.78

$2.14 ¥14.21

4.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.19

$1.48 ¥9.79

24.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.69

$1.30 ¥8.62

23.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.31

$0.63 ¥4.18

74.60%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥13.98

$1.76 ¥11.67

19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥126

$13.08 ¥86.8

45.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.84

$3.29 ¥21.83

13.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.3

$11.43 ¥75.9

-9.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.40

$1.51 ¥10.04

53.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.90

$1.21 ¥8.04

10.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.08

$1.06 ¥7.04

43.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.17

$0.92 ¥6.09

66.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.21

$0.71 ¥4.69

32.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.90 ¥5.99

4.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.17

$0.56 ¥3.75

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.64

$0.43 ¥2.86

27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.69

$3.84 ¥25.50

4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥88.8

$10.65 ¥70.7

25.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.10

$0.86 ¥5.71

-10.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.95

$1.53 ¥10.14

7.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.29 ¥1.92

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$17.76 ¥118

-0.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.02

$1.38 ¥9.17

42.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.31 ¥2.06

22.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.35

$8.12 ¥53.9

-14.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.73

$1.17 ¥7.76

12.82%

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

$19.7K ¥130.9K

$19.5K ¥129.2K

1.34%

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

$18.4K ¥122.0K

$18.0K ¥119.3K

2.23%

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

$48.04 ¥319

$24.16 ¥160

98.84%

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

$10.04 ¥66.6

$5.06 ¥33.59

98.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥99.7

$11.06 ¥73.4

35.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥350

$41.98 ¥279

25.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$14.59 ¥96.8

37.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.1

$5.12 ¥34.00

47.46%

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

$577 ¥3,826

$468 ¥3,107

23.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥237.5K

$18.8K ¥124.6K

90.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥400

$42.25 ¥280

42.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥280

$32.05 ¥213

31.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥558

$75.2 ¥499

11.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥734

$75.0 ¥498

47.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,664

$281 ¥1,868

96.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,334

$186 ¥1,234

89.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,413

$597 ¥3,962

87.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,159

$362 ¥2,399

73.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥50.9K

$1,368 ¥9,079

460.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.3K

$1,942 ¥12.9K

96.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$485 ¥3,217

226.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.36

4.17%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Guilin

$186 28.4% 47.1% $166

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Guilin

$191 29.1% 18.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Guilin

$101 15.4% 24.4% $33

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Guilin

$63 9.6% 37.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Guilin

$40 6.2% 44.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Guilin

$52 8% 23.1% $16

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Guilin

$22 3.3% 7% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Hangzhou versus $281 in Guilin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hangzhou are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $15 in Guilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $191 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

4,931,137

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hangzhou Guilin 1,120 km ≈ 2 h 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 Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Hangzhou and $983 in Guilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guilin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $281 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou and $15 in Guilin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Guilin – 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 Guilin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.