Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lanzhou and in Hangzhou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lanzhou and in Hangzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $719 per month in Lanzhou vs $1,020 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Lanzhou $719
Hangzhou $1,020

A couple spends around $1,143 per month in Lanzhou vs $1,566 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Lanzhou $1,143
Hangzhou $1,566

A family of three spends $1,567 per month in Lanzhou vs $2,112 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Lanzhou $1,567
Hangzhou $2,112

Lanzhou is about 30% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ¥13.80

$3.77 ¥25.22

-45.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.34 ¥189

$25.72 ¥172

10.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 ¥39.15

$4.54 ¥30.33

29.07%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥20.89

$3.35 ¥22.38

-6.87%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.59 ¥3.97

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.33 ¥2.24

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$1.18 ¥7.90

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.21 ¥14.75

-8.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$1.86 ¥12.44

-4.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.59 ¥10.60

1.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.12 ¥7.51

-14.29%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.72

$2.01 ¥13.42

-20.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 ¥88.4

$18.92 ¥127

-30.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.92

$3.78 ¥25.25

-9.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ¥81.0

$10.01 ¥66.9

20.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$2.28 ¥15.23

-20.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$1.41 ¥9.43

-9.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$1.52 ¥10.16

-1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$1.55 ¥10.39

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.89 ¥5.93

-21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.98 ¥6.57

-5.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.67 ¥4.45

-10.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$0.54 ¥3.61

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.19

$4.10 ¥27.40

-8.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$13.30 ¥89.0

-13.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$0.78 ¥5.22

6.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$1.65 ¥11.02

-7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.63 ¥4.21

-53.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$17.61 ¥118

2.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$1.91 ¥12.76

-22.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$0.38 ¥2.54

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 ¥47.58

$7.28 ¥48.65

-2.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.73

$1.31 ¥8.76

11.45%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$19.3K ¥129.2K

-9.26%

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

$15.0K ¥100.4K

$18.3K ¥122.5K

-18.09%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$47.44 ¥317

22.28%

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

$8.79 ¥58.8

$10.05 ¥67.2

-12.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$14.50 ¥97.0

-22.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.33 ¥283

$51.5 ¥344

-17.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$19.69 ¥132

-25.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥42.06

$7.32 ¥48.94

-14.07%

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

$412 ¥2,756

$568 ¥3,801

-27.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$36.2K ¥242.1K

-51.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.85 ¥287

$59.6 ¥398

-28.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 ¥224

$41.39 ¥277

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥505

$86.2 ¥576

-12.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ¥495

$109 ¥728

-31.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$626 ¥4,182

-52.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,126

$393 ¥2,628

-57.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,186

$1,206 ¥8,061

-48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,986

$672 ¥4,490

-55.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥17.9K

$8,023 ¥53.6K

-66.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 ¥10.8K

$3,742 ¥25.0K

-56.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$953 ¥6,375

$1,557 ¥10.4K

-38.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

-14.29%

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

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lanzhou

$209 29.1%

Hangzhou

$234 22.9% 11.8% $25

Accommodation & Living

Lanzhou

$168 23.4%

Hangzhou

$393 38.5% 133% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Lanzhou

$102 14.2%

Hangzhou

$133 13.1% 31% $32

Eating Out

Lanzhou

$84 11.7%

Hangzhou

$98 9.6% 16.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lanzhou

$78 10.9%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 7.7% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Lanzhou

$55 7.6%

Hangzhou

$66 6.5% 20.5% $11

Getting Around

Lanzhou

$22 3.1%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 7.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $295 in Lanzhou versus $626 in Hangzhou. 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 63% 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 $28.00 in Lanzhou versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $209 in Lanzhou vs $234 in Hangzhou – so Lanzhou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

Same time as Lanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,688,400

10,360,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Lanzhou Hangzhou 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lanzhou
Hangzhou

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

Lanzhou vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,078 per month in Lanzhou and $1,530 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 12% 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 $28.00 in Lanzhou and $26.00 in Hangzhou. 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 Lanzhou, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Hangzhou at $1,020. In Lanzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lanzhou – 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 Lanzhou. 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.