Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
Learn more

Yiwu Living Index

Jump to prices

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Yiwu

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Hangzhou vs $550 in Yiwu, rent included.

Hangzhou $985
Yiwu $550

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,299 in Yiwu, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,533
Yiwu $1,299

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Hangzhou vs $2,048 in Yiwu, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,080
Yiwu $2,048

Hangzhou costs about 79% more than Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Hangzhou and Yiwu are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 28% lower, Yiwu 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.88 ¥19.15

29.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.03 ¥173

$29.56 ¥197

-11.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ¥31.15

$5.27 ¥35.06

-11.20%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥23.18

$3.41 ¥22.70

2.05%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.58 ¥3.85

5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.38 ¥2.53

-13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.09

$1.23 ¥8.20

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ¥14.82

$2.30 ¥15.28

-3.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.22

$1.78 ¥11.82

3.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.72

$1.94 ¥12.91

-17.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.03 ¥6.87

6.80%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥14.02

$1.69 ¥11.27

24.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

$16.96 ¥113

12.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.90

$3.31 ¥22.04

12.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.29 ¥68.5

$12.92 ¥86.0

-20.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ¥15.44

$2.15 ¥14.33

7.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.73 ¥11.48

-22.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$2.03 ¥13.49

-25.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.69 ¥11.27

-9.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$0.82 ¥5.44

14.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$0.92 ¥6.09

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$0.64 ¥4.26

-1.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.59 ¥3.91

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥26.76

$3.84 ¥25.52

4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 ¥89.1

$10.77 ¥71.7

24.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.12

$0.88 ¥5.89

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.98

$1.55 ¥10.32

6.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.46 ¥3.06

2.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ¥13.05

$1.39 ¥9.23

41.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.47 ¥3.10

-19.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.48

$8.98 ¥59.8

-22.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.75

$1.27 ¥8.47

3.94%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$19.8K ¥132.1K

-0.60%

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

$18.4K ¥122.3K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

0.72%

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

$48.04 ¥320

$57.7 ¥384

-16.71%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$7.89 ¥52.5

27.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.02 ¥100.0

$10.44 ¥69.5

43.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥351

$15.16 ¥101

248.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.00 ¥133

$11.35 ¥75.5

76.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ¥50.2

$7.09 ¥47.19

6.49%

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

$577 ¥3,837

$1,606 ¥10.7K

-64.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥238.2K

$28.1K ¥186.9K

27.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ¥401

$55.7 ¥371

8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 ¥281

$37.90 ¥252

11.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 ¥559

$76.5 ¥509

9.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥736

$74.5 ¥496

48.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥3,674

$456 ¥3,035

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 ¥7,433

$1,055 ¥7,024

5.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ¥4,170

$759 ¥5,051

-17.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,668 ¥51.0K

$11.9K ¥79.1K

-35.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.4K

$2,935 ¥19.5K

30.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.5K

$757 ¥5,035

109.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.36

4.17%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$235 23.9%

Yiwu

$235 42.7% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.6%

Yiwu

$110 20% 17.7% $24

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10.2%

Yiwu

$94 17.2% 5.6% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.4%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 4% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.9%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 56.8% $39

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Yiwu

$5.6 * 1% 76.3% $18

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 $456 in Yiwu. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou versus $30 in Yiwu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $235 – making Hangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

1,234,015

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hangzhou Yiwu 110 km

From you

Hangzhou
Yiwu

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 Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Hangzhou and $825 in Yiwu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yiwu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $456 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Hangzhou and $30 in Yiwu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $577 per month in Hangzhou and $1,606 in Yiwu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Hangzhou at $985. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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