Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Urumqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $605 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
Learn more

Urumqi Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Urumqi

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

A single person spends $1,023 per month in Hangzhou vs $605 in Urumqi, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,023
Urumqi $605

A couple spends around $1,574 per month in Hangzhou vs $960 in Urumqi, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,574
Urumqi $960

A family of three spends $2,125 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,316 in Urumqi, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,125
Urumqi $1,316

Hangzhou costs about 69% more than Urumqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hangzhou and Urumqi are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 24% lower, Urumqi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ¥25.52

$3.29 ¥21.98

16.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 ¥172

$18.16 ¥121

41.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥31.55

$5.28 ¥35.30

-10.61%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ¥23.02

$2.87 ¥19.19

19.86%

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

$0.61 ¥4.07

$0.46 ¥3.08

32.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.22

$0.24 ¥1.59

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$1.14 ¥7.63

4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.11

$1.77 ¥11.83

27.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$1.24 ¥8.26

46.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$0.93 ¥6.22

80.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$0.62 ¥4.12

77.42%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥13.89

$1.54 ¥10.28

35.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.25 ¥129

$6.13 ¥40.96

214.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$2.49 ¥16.63

51.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ¥67.5

$9.61 ¥64.3

4.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$2.04 ¥13.62

16.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.23 ¥8.22

8.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$1.86 ¥12.43

-19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$0.76 ¥5.11

102.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$0.54 ¥3.61

72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.62 ¥4.17

48.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.55

$0.50 ¥3.33

36.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.45 ¥3.00

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥28.08

$2.93 ¥19.57

43.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 ¥91.6

$10.51 ¥70.3

30.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$1.09 ¥7.30

-26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.47 ¥9.84

17.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.29 ¥1.93

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.96 ¥120

$18.08 ¥121

-0.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$1.47 ¥9.81

31.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.29 ¥1.94

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.96 ¥46.52

$7.30 ¥48.80

-4.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.17

$1.23 ¥8.23

11.38%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$17.9K ¥119.5K

7.10%

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

$18.8K ¥125.9K

$13.9K ¥93.2K

35.11%

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

$47.48 ¥317

$66.5 ¥444

-28.55%

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

$10.02 ¥67.0

$5.43 ¥36.33

84.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.6

$11.29 ¥75.5

30.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥341

$22.12 ¥148

130.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.35 ¥129

$9.40 ¥62.8

105.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 ¥49.77

$5.82 ¥38.90

27.84%

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

$578 ¥3,863

$161 ¥1,078

258.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.5K

$9,005 ¥60.2K

301.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ¥388

$52.6 ¥351

10.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$22.05 ¥147

92.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 ¥578

$106 ¥712

-18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$44.33 ¥296

148.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,167

$261 ¥1,748

138.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥2,605

$117 ¥784

232.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥8,019

$405 ¥2,708

196.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,495

$251 ¥1,678

167.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,857 ¥52.5K

$1,834 ¥12.3K

328.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,778 ¥25.3K

$1,159 ¥7,748

226.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,583 ¥10.6K

$1,114 ¥7,449

42.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.39

3.24%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Urumqi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$390 38.1%

Urumqi

$117 19.4% 69.9% $272

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.2%

Urumqi

$158 26.2% 33.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.1%

Urumqi

$101 16.8% 24.1% $32

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 9.8%

Urumqi

$89 14.7% 11.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$72 7.1%

Urumqi

$83 13.8% 15.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$66 6.4%

Urumqi

$34 5.6% 48.8% $32

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Urumqi

$22 3.7% 8.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $623 in Hangzhou versus $261 in Urumqi. 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 42% 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 $26.00 in Hangzhou versus $18.00 in Urumqi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $158 – making Urumqi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

23:00 11:00 PM

2 h behind Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

4,054,369

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hangzhou Urumqi 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Urumqi

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 Urumqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 69%, 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 $907 in Urumqi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Urumqi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 $26.00 in Hangzhou and $18.00 in Urumqi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Urumqi, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Hangzhou at $1,023. In Urumqi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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