Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Tonghua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $643 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Tonghua

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $643 in Tonghua, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Tonghua $643

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,038 in Tonghua, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Tonghua $1,038

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,432 in Tonghua, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Tonghua $1,432

Hangzhou costs about 53% more than Tonghua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hangzhou and Tonghua are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 28% lower, Tonghua 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.27 ¥15.08

64.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$22.26 ¥148

16.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.15

$5.23 ¥34.79

-10.52%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.18

$2.21 ¥14.73

57.47%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.43 ¥2.88

41.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.36 ¥2.38

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.09

$0.74 ¥4.90

64.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.82

$1.83 ¥12.17

21.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$1.69 ¥11.24

8.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.72

$2.16 ¥14.34

-25.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.03 ¥6.88

6.80%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.02

$1.05 ¥6.99

100.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$13.73 ¥91.4

38.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.90

$2.97 ¥19.74

25.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.5

$6.92 ¥46.03

48.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.44

$1.01 ¥6.74

129.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.07 ¥7.15

25.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$0.81 ¥5.38

87.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.07 ¥7.14

42.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$0.86 ¥5.71

9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$1.03 ¥6.85

-8.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$0.58 ¥3.87

8.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.65 ¥4.32

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.76

$3.72 ¥24.77

8.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$11.76 ¥78.3

13.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$0.69 ¥4.57

11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.98

$1.15 ¥7.63

43.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.29 ¥1.90

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

$18.11 ¥121

-2.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.05

$0.88 ¥5.87

122.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.39 ¥2.57

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.48

$3.01 ¥20.05

131.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.75

$1.24 ¥8.22

6.45%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.4K ¥128.8K

1.91%

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

$18.4K ¥122.3K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

7.28%

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

$48.04 ¥320

$23.30 ¥155

106.18%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$5.98 ¥39.77

67.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥100.0

$8.88 ¥59.1

69.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$42.23 ¥281

24.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$14.79 ¥98.4

35.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$6.05 ¥40.26

24.79%

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

$577 ¥3,837

$300 ¥1,994

92.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥238.2K

$14.9K ¥99.0K

140.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥401

$22.75 ¥151

164.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$33.44 ¥223

26.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥559

$61.0 ¥406

37.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥736

$69.0 ¥459

60.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,674

$285 ¥1,897

93.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$186 ¥1,237

89.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,433

$598 ¥3,978

86.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,171

$361 ¥2,404

73.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

$3,262 ¥21.7K

135.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

92.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$501 ¥3,336

215.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

-12.50%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Tonghua

$186 28.9% 47.1% $166

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Tonghua

$188 29.2% 20.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Tonghua

$84 13% 37.3% $50

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Tonghua

$71 11% 29.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Tonghua

$38 5.9% 47.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Tonghua

$54 8.5% 19.9% $14

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Tonghua

$22 3.4% 6% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Hangzhou versus $285 in Tonghua. 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $22 in Tonghua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $188 – making Tonghua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

446,917

💱 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 Tonghua 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Tonghua

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 Tonghua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Hangzhou and $964 in Tonghua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tonghua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

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

Groceries cost about 25% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $985 in Hangzhou and $643 in Tonghua, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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