Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Kunming, Yunnan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunming, Yunnan: $778 a month against $997 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Kunming, Yunnan
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Kunming, Yunnan Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$997

/mo nomad

Kunming, Yunnan

🇨🇳 China

$778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Kunming, Yunnan

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

A single person spends $997 per month in Hangzhou vs $778 in Kunming, Yunnan, rent included.

Hangzhou $997
Kunming, Yunnan $778

A couple spends around $1,539 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,228 in Kunming, Yunnan, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,539
Kunming, Yunnan $1,228

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,677 in Kunming, Yunnan, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Kunming, Yunnan $1,677

Hangzhou costs about 28% more than Kunming, Yunnan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hangzhou and Kunming, Yunnan are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 26% lower, Kunming, Yunnan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 ¥25.37

$2.29 ¥15.26

66.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.68 ¥171

$22.26 ¥148

15.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 ¥30.34

$6.20 ¥41.30

-26.45%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ¥22.25

$2.89 ¥19.24

15.57%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.46 ¥3.05

32.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.21

$0.29 ¥1.90

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.46 ¥9.74

-6.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ¥15.73

$2.30 ¥15.33

2.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.41

$1.86 ¥12.40

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.30

$1.69 ¥11.25

-8.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.67

$1.52 ¥10.14

-24.34%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.57 ¥10.43

36.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.27 ¥128

$7.69 ¥51.2

150.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 ¥25.80

$4.55 ¥30.31

-14.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 ¥67.2

$12.19 ¥81.2

-17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 ¥16.61

$1.42 ¥9.46

75.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$1.16 ¥7.70

22.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.70

$1.55 ¥10.36

-5.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$1.22 ¥8.10

26.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$0.39 ¥2.60

143.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$0.88 ¥5.87

6.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.32

$1.62 ¥10.77

-59.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.64 ¥4.23

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ¥27.41

$2.96 ¥19.71

39.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 ¥89.0

$6.83 ¥45.51

95.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.44

$0.77 ¥5.12

6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.13

$1.51 ¥10.08

10.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.72 ¥4.76

-40.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.94 ¥120

$29.78 ¥198

-39.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$1.54 ¥10.23

23.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.46

$0.31 ¥2.07

19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.97 ¥46.42

$14.75 ¥98.2

-52.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.26 ¥8.38

3.97%

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

$19.9K ¥132.5K

$20.4K ¥135.9K

-2.50%

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

$18.6K ¥123.8K

$17.7K ¥117.9K

5.02%

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

$47.60 ¥317

$56.0 ¥373

-14.92%

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

$8.93 ¥59.5

$15.09 ¥100

-40.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.2

$17.50 ¥117

-15.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥350

$42.41 ¥282

23.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.53 ¥130

$25.26 ¥168

-22.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ¥51.5

$5.85 ¥38.98

32.14%

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

$586 ¥3,900

$354 ¥2,358

65.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K ¥277.4K

$14.2K ¥94.7K

192.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 ¥392

$70.8 ¥471

-16.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.92 ¥286

$53.0 ¥353

-18.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 ¥571

$77.3 ¥515

11.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥739

$108 ¥721

2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 ¥3,750

$245 ¥1,635

129.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,418

$180 ¥1,198

101.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,470

$545 ¥3,630

105.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ¥4,166

$328 ¥2,184

90.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,523 ¥50.1K

$3,105 ¥20.7K

142.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,879 ¥25.8K

$1,325 ¥8,825

192.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,485 ¥9,891

$866 ¥5,766

71.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.6

-2.78%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: November 3, 2026

Last update for Kunming, Yunnan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$363 36.4%

Kunming, Yunnan

$180 23.1% 50.5% $183

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.8%

Kunming, Yunnan

$194 25% 18.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.5%

Kunming, Yunnan

$139 17.9% 3.6% $4.9

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10%

Kunming, Yunnan

$86 11.1% 13.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$71 7.2%

Kunming, Yunnan

$89 11.4% 24.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.8%

Kunming, Yunnan

$54 7% 20.4% $14

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Kunming, Yunnan

$36 4.6% 52.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $563 in Hangzhou versus $245 in Kunming, Yunnan. 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 72% higher in Hangzhou. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $22 in Kunming, Yunnan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $194 – making Kunming, Yunnan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Kunming, Yunnan

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

3,583,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hangzhou Kunming, Yunnan 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Kunming, Yunnan

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 Kunming, Yunnan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,496 per month in Hangzhou and $1,167 in Kunming, Yunnan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kunming, Yunnan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $563 in Hangzhou.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou and $22 in Kunming, Yunnan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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