Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Huai'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Huai'an: $712 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Huai'an
Learn more

Huai'an Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Huai'an

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Huai'an

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Hangzhou vs $712 in Huai'an, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,020
Huai'an $712

A couple spends around $1,566 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,127 in Huai'an, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,566
Huai'an $1,127

A family of three spends $2,112 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,542 in Huai'an, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,112
Huai'an $1,542

Hangzhou costs about 43% more than Huai'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hangzhou and Huai'an are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 24% lower, Huai'an 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 ¥25.22

$2.84 ¥19.02

32.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.72 ¥172

$21.39 ¥143

20.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.33

$4.83 ¥32.31

-6.00%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥22.38

$3.09 ¥20.65

8.41%

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

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.43 ¥2.90

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.24

$0.29 ¥1.96

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$0.88 ¥5.86

34.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.75

$2.15 ¥14.37

2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.44

$1.79 ¥11.97

3.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.60

$1.55 ¥10.33

2.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 ¥7.51

$0.94 ¥6.31

19.15%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥13.42

$1.60 ¥10.67

25.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.92 ¥127

$12.96 ¥86.7

45.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 ¥25.25

$3.15 ¥21.09

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.01 ¥66.9

$10.15 ¥67.9

-1.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.23

$1.86 ¥12.43

22.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$1.26 ¥8.44

11.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$1.49 ¥9.97

2.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.11 ¥7.39

39.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$0.73 ¥4.89

21.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$0.90 ¥6.03

8.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$0.56 ¥3.72

19.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.50 ¥3.37

8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 ¥27.40

$3.04 ¥20.33

34.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 ¥89.0

$10.38 ¥69.4

28.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$0.81 ¥5.40

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.64 ¥11.00

0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.27 ¥1.79

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.61 ¥118

$16.42 ¥110

7.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ¥12.76

$1.41 ¥9.43

35.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.33 ¥2.19

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.28 ¥48.65

$6.75 ¥45.16

7.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.13 ¥7.54

15.93%

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

$19.3K ¥129.2K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-1.57%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

8.08%

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

$47.44 ¥317

$44.97 ¥301

5.49%

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

$10.05 ¥67.2

$9.59 ¥64.1

4.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.50 ¥97.0

$11.53 ¥77.1

25.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥344

$41.25 ¥276

24.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 ¥132

$14.14 ¥94.5

39.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 ¥48.94

$5.85 ¥39.12

25.13%

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

$568 ¥3,801

$338 ¥2,262

68.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K ¥242.1K

$16.8K ¥112.6K

115.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ¥398

$44.21 ¥296

34.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 ¥277

$29.84 ¥200

38.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 ¥576

$70.8 ¥473

21.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥728

$72.0 ¥481

51.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,182

$276 ¥1,847

126.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,628

$192 ¥1,283

104.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 ¥8,061

$598 ¥3,999

101.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,490

$356 ¥2,379

88.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,023 ¥53.6K

$2,977 ¥19.9K

169.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,742 ¥25.0K

$2,044 ¥13.7K

83.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,557 ¥10.4K

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 10, 2026

Last update for Huai'an: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$393 38.5%

Huai'an

$192 27% 51.2% $201

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$234 22.9%

Huai'an

$197 27.7% 15.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$133 13.1%

Huai'an

$98 13.7% 26.8% $36

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$98 9.6%

Huai'an

$86 12.1% 12.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Huai'an

$66 9.3% 8.2% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.5%

Huai'an

$53 7.4% 20% $13

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Huai'an

$21 2.9% 14.2% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Hangzhou versus $276 in Huai'an. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou versus $21.00 in Huai'an. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $197 – making Huai'an the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Huai'an

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

4,799,889

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hangzhou Huai'an 380 km

From you

Hangzhou
Huai'an

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 Huai'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,530 per month in Hangzhou and $1,069 in Huai'an. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huai'an, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Hangzhou, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou and $21.00 in Huai'an. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Huai'an, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Hangzhou at $1,020. In Huai'an it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huai'an – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Huai'an. 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.