Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Taiyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $587 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$587

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Taiyuan

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $587 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Taiyuan $587

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $913 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Taiyuan $913

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,238 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Taiyuan $1,238

Hangzhou costs about 68% more than Taiyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hangzhou and Taiyuan are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 28% lower, Taiyuan 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.23 ¥14.82

67.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$15.13 ¥101

72.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.15

$4.44 ¥29.56

5.41%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.18

$2.63 ¥17.50

32.32%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.47 ¥3.14

29.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.31 ¥2.07

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.09

$1.22 ¥8.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.82

$2.09 ¥13.90

6.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.22

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.72

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$0.82 ¥5.48

34.15%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.02

$0.92 ¥6.15

129.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.90

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.5

$12.83 ¥85.4

-19.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.44

$1.86 ¥12.37

24.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.31 ¥8.74

2.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$0.84 ¥5.61

80.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.13 ¥7.55

35.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$0.51 ¥3.40

84.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$0.29 ¥1.93

224.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.43 ¥2.85

27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.76

$3.05 ¥20.32

31.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$7.30 ¥48.56

83.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$0.89 ¥5.90

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.98

$1.46 ¥9.73

13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.29 ¥1.90

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$13.44 ¥89.5

31.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.05

$1.17 ¥7.77

67.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.25 ¥1.67

52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.48

$3.73 ¥24.82

87.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.75

$1.26 ¥8.36

4.76%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

1.35%

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

$18.4K ¥122.3K

$17.2K ¥114.7K

6.68%

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

$48.04 ¥320

$93.6 ¥623

-48.70%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$10.61 ¥70.6

-5.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥100.0

$12.66 ¥84.2

18.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$45.02 ¥300

17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$8.83 ¥58.8

126.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$6.60 ¥43.91

14.39%

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

$577 ¥3,837

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥238.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥401

$27.82 ¥185

116.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$66.3 ¥441

-36.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥559

$75.1 ¥500

11.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥736

$60.9 ¥405

81.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,674

$223 ¥1,481

148.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$114 ¥761

207.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,433

$548 ¥3,645

103.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,171

$262 ¥1,743

139.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

$2,692 ¥17.9K

184.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

$1,235 ¥8,217

209.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$947 ¥6,301

67.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.83

-8.62%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Taiyuan

$114 19.5% 67.5% $237

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Taiyuan

$101 * 17.2% 57.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Taiyuan

$104 17.6% 22.5% $30

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Taiyuan

$76 13% 23.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Taiyuan

$117 19.9% 59.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Taiyuan

$58 9.9% 14.2% $9.7

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Taiyuan

$17 2.9% 27.6% $6.5

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 $223 in Taiyuan. 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 67% higher in Hangzhou, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $15 in Taiyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $101 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

3,525,300

💱 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

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Between locations

Hangzhou Taiyuan 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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Taiyuan

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 Taiyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 68%, 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 $881 in Taiyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taiyuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Taiyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 133% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $587, than in Hangzhou at $985. In Taiyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

If budget matters most, go with Taiyuan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.