Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $500 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Kaifeng

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $500 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Kaifeng $500

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $792 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Kaifeng $792

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,083 in Kaifeng, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Kaifeng $1,083

Hangzhou costs about 97% more than Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hangzhou and Kaifeng are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 28% lower, Kaifeng 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.78

$1.85 ¥12.30

101.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$13.44 ¥89.3

93.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.10

$4.12 ¥27.40

13.59%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.15

$2.19 ¥14.54

58.90%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.39 ¥2.56

56.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.17 ¥1.14

94.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.07

$0.89 ¥5.91

37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.80

$1.53 ¥10.16

45.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.20

$1.57 ¥10.40

17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.71

$1.54 ¥10.21

4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$0.81 ¥5.39

35.80%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.00

$0.96 ¥6.39

119.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$6.67 ¥44.30

185.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.87

$2.30 ¥15.25

62.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.4

$10.21 ¥67.8

0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.41

$0.87 ¥5.78

166.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.91

$0.97 ¥6.42

38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.09

$0.59 ¥3.94

157.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.18

$0.64 ¥4.25

139.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.22

$0.58 ¥3.84

62.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.67 ¥4.47

40.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.17

$0.21 ¥1.39

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.55 ¥3.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.72

$2.94 ¥19.56

36.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$14.88 ¥98.9

-10.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.11

$1.01 ¥6.70

-23.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$2.01 ¥13.36

-17.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.13 ¥0.87

261.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.03

$1.17 ¥7.75

67.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.15 ¥0.99

153.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.41

$3.69 ¥24.50

89.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.74

$1.27 ¥8.44

3.94%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$19.2K ¥127.3K

2.95%

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

$14.9K ¥99.0K

23.44%

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

$48.04 ¥319

$45.22 ¥300

6.24%

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

$10.04 ¥66.7

$4.76 ¥31.62

110.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥99.8

$5.28 ¥35.07

184.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$29.67 ¥197

77.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$10.55 ¥70.1

89.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$3.82 ¥25.36

97.64%

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

$577 ¥3,831

$388 ¥2,581

48.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥237.8K

$31.2K ¥207.3K

14.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥400

$43.81 ¥291

37.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$33.96 ¥226

24.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥558

$71.9 ¥478

16.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥735

$45.32 ¥301

144.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,669

$121 ¥801

358.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,337

$88.7 ¥589

296.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,422

$225 ¥1,494

396.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,164

$180 ¥1,197

247.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$580 ¥3,852

172.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.1

12.90%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Kaifeng

$89 17.7% 74.8% $263

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Kaifeng

$165 33.1% 29.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Kaifeng

$88 17.6% 34.4% $46

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Kaifeng

$63 12.6% 36.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Kaifeng

$55 11.1% 24.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Kaifeng

$37 7.5% 45% $31

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Kaifeng

$2.4 * 0.5% 89.6% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Hangzhou versus $121 in Kaifeng. 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $13 in Kaifeng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $165 – making Kaifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

4,676,159

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hangzhou Kaifeng 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 97%, 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 $750 in Kaifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaifeng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou and $13 in Kaifeng. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kaifeng, where all-in costs run around $500, than in Hangzhou at $985. In Kaifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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