Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ningbo and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $691 a month against $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
Learn more

Ningbo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
Learn more

Hangzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ningbo 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 Ningbo and in Hangzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $691 per month in Ningbo vs $1,023 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Ningbo $691
Hangzhou $1,023

A couple spends around $1,179 per month in Ningbo vs $1,574 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Ningbo $1,179
Hangzhou $1,574

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Ningbo vs $2,125 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Ningbo $1,668
Hangzhou $2,125

Ningbo is about 32% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ningbo and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Ningbo 49% lower, Hangzhou 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.89 ¥19.32

$3.82 ¥25.52

-24.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.12 ¥201

$25.78 ¥172

16.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥29.83

$4.72 ¥31.55

-5.51%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.55

$3.44 ¥23.02

2.33%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.61 ¥4.07

-27.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.33 ¥2.22

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$1.19 ¥7.93

-12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$2.26 ¥15.11

52.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$1.82 ¥12.20

-4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ¥7.79

$1.68 ¥11.22

-30.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.66

$1.10 ¥7.38

-36.36%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.46

$2.08 ¥13.89

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 ¥101

$19.25 ¥129

-21.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 ¥24.53

$3.77 ¥25.18

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 ¥58.7

$10.09 ¥67.5

-12.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$2.37 ¥15.84

-54.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.34 ¥8.97

16.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.52

$1.50 ¥10.06

4.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.54 ¥10.27

-20.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.93 ¥6.20

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.69

$0.92 ¥6.17

-23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.32

$0.68 ¥4.55

-4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 ¥30.79

$4.20 ¥28.08

9.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ¥53.7

$13.70 ¥91.6

-41.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.43

$0.80 ¥5.32

1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ¥10.04

$1.72 ¥11.47

-12.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.62 ¥4.16

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.67 ¥111

$17.96 ¥120

-7.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.93 ¥12.89

-12.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$0.38 ¥2.56

-7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 ¥47.90

$6.96 ¥46.52

2.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.37 ¥9.17

-2.92%

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

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

2.52%

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

$18.1K ¥121.3K

$18.8K ¥125.9K

-3.67%

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

$51.9 ¥347

$47.48 ¥317

9.33%

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

$6.67 ¥44.63

$10.02 ¥67.0

-33.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 ¥52.1

$14.74 ¥98.6

-47.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.44 ¥170

$51.0 ¥341

-50.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.16 ¥94.7

$19.35 ¥129

-26.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ¥53.8

$7.44 ¥49.77

8.20%

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

$932 ¥6,234

$578 ¥3,863

61.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ¥106.6K

$36.1K ¥241.5K

-55.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ¥427

$58.1 ¥388

9.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.75 ¥179

$42.37 ¥283

-36.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 ¥416

$86.5 ¥578

-28.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥351

$110 ¥736

-52.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,394

$623 ¥4,167

-42.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ¥1,230

$390 ¥2,605

-52.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 ¥5,121

$1,199 ¥8,019

-36.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 ¥3,136

$672 ¥4,495

-30.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,784 ¥25.3K

$7,857 ¥52.5K

-51.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,053 ¥13.7K

$3,778 ¥25.3K

-45.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 ¥7,977

$1,583 ¥10.6K

-24.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

3.5

-9.14%

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

Last update for Ningbo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ningbo

$191 27.7%

Hangzhou

$237 23.2% 24.1% $46

Accommodation & Living

Ningbo

$184 26.6%

Hangzhou

$390 38.1% 112% $206

Eating Out

Ningbo

$94 13.6%

Hangzhou

$100 9.8% 6.8% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Ningbo

$92 13.4%

Hangzhou

$134 13.1% 44.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ningbo

$66 9.6%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 8.8% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ningbo

$42 6%

Hangzhou

$66 6.4% 58.7% $24

Getting Around

Ningbo

$21 3.1%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 13.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Ningbo versus $623 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 33% 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 $30.00 in Ningbo versus $26.00 in Hangzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $191 in Ningbo vs $237 in Hangzhou – so Ningbo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

Same time as Ningbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,605,689

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ningbo Hangzhou 140 km

From you

Ningbo
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

Ningbo vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,036 per month in Ningbo and $1,535 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 24% 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 $30.00 in Ningbo and $26.00 in Hangzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ningbo, where all-in costs run around $691, than in Hangzhou at $1,023. In Ningbo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ningbo – 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 Ningbo. 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.