Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Qinhuangdao

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Qinhuangdao

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

A single person spends $1,023 per month in Hangzhou vs $714 in Qinhuangdao, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,023
Qinhuangdao $714

A couple spends around $1,574 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,135 in Qinhuangdao, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,574
Qinhuangdao $1,135

A family of three spends $2,125 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,556 in Qinhuangdao, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,125
Qinhuangdao $1,556

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ¥25.43

$2.76 ¥18.37

38.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 ¥172

$21.79 ¥145

18.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.43

$4.88 ¥32.52

-3.28%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ¥22.93

$3.04 ¥20.25

13.16%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.47 ¥3.12

29.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.21

$0.27 ¥1.78

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.90

$0.92 ¥6.16

29.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.05

$2.13 ¥14.19

6.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.15

$1.85 ¥12.32

-1.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.18

$1.55 ¥10.34

8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$0.89 ¥5.92

23.60%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥13.84

$1.53 ¥10.21

35.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 ¥128

$13.05 ¥87.0

47.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ¥25.09

$3.11 ¥20.72

21.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.2

$10.33 ¥68.8

-2.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.78

$1.87 ¥12.47

26.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.94

$1.25 ¥8.33

7.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.02

$1.47 ¥9.78

2.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.15 ¥7.63

33.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.17

$0.73 ¥4.88

27.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.95 ¥6.34

-3.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.60 ¥4.00

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.51 ¥3.41

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥27.97

$3.05 ¥20.33

37.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 ¥91.3

$10.69 ¥71.2

28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.30

$0.79 ¥5.26

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.43

$1.64 ¥10.90

4.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.27 ¥1.78

129.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.96 ¥120

$16.97 ¥113

5.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.84

$1.42 ¥9.48

35.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.33 ¥2.18

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 ¥46.35

$6.62 ¥44.07

5.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.14 ¥7.59

20.18%

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

$19.1K ¥127.4K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

-0.37%

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

$18.8K ¥125.4K

$17.1K ¥113.9K

10.10%

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

$47.48 ¥316

$44.64 ¥297

6.36%

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

$10.02 ¥66.8

$9.87 ¥65.8

1.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.2

$11.90 ¥79.2

23.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥340

$42.14 ¥281

21.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.35 ¥129

$14.09 ¥93.9

37.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.58

$5.79 ¥38.58

28.50%

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

$578 ¥3,849

$337 ¥2,246

71.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥240.6K

$17.2K ¥114.3K

110.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ¥387

$44.18 ¥294

31.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥282

$30.35 ¥202

39.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 ¥576

$71.8 ¥478

20.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥733

$70.6 ¥471

55.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,151

$276 ¥1,836

126.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥2,595

$191 ¥1,273

103.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥7,989

$601 ¥4,001

99.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,478

$362 ¥2,414

85.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,857 ¥52.3K

$3,063 ¥20.4K

156.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 ¥25.2K

$2,068 ¥13.8K

82.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 ¥10.5K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$390 38.1%

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8% 51% $199

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.2%

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9% 16.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.1%

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7% 26.9% $36

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 9.8%

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9% 15.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3% 8.1% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.4%

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5% 18.5% $12

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Qinhuangdao

$21 3% 13.1% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $623 in Hangzhou versus $276 in Qinhuangdao. 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 in Hangzhou versus $22 in Qinhuangdao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $199 – making Qinhuangdao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

2,987,605

💱 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 Qinhuangdao 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Qinhuangdao: 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 $1,535 per month in Hangzhou and $1,071 in Qinhuangdao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qinhuangdao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $276 there versus $623 in Hangzhou.

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 in Hangzhou and $22 in Qinhuangdao. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,023 in Hangzhou and $714 in Qinhuangdao, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Qinhuangdao is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 43% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.