Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tianjin and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $854 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$854

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $854 per month in Tianjin vs $985 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Tianjin $854
Hangzhou $985

A couple spends around $1,361 per month in Tianjin vs $1,533 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Tianjin $1,361
Hangzhou $1,533

A family of three spends $1,868 per month in Tianjin vs $2,080 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Tianjin $1,868
Hangzhou $2,080

Tianjin is about 13% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Tianjin and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Tianjin 37% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 ¥27.81

$3.73 ¥24.81

12.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.41 ¥162

$26.03 ¥173

-6.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 ¥38.91

$4.68 ¥31.15

25.00%

Cappuccino

$4.06 ¥27.00

$3.48 ¥23.18

16.67%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$0.61 ¥4.05

-22.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.33 ¥2.20

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ¥6.63

$1.22 ¥8.09

-18.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.68

$2.23 ¥14.82

-21.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥9.58

$1.84 ¥12.22

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 ¥15.58

$1.61 ¥10.72

45.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.11

$1.10 ¥7.33

51.82%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.81

$2.11 ¥14.02

-37.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 ¥98.3

$19.06 ¥127

-22.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.92

$3.74 ¥24.90

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 ¥65.0

$10.29 ¥68.5

-5.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.88

$2.32 ¥15.44

-29.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.34 ¥8.93

14.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.72

$1.52 ¥10.11

15.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$1.53 ¥10.19

-22.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$0.94 ¥6.23

-5.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.77

$0.94 ¥6.27

24.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.50

$0.63 ¥4.18

7.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$0.55 ¥3.65

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.40 ¥35.94

$4.02 ¥26.76

34.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 ¥90.9

$13.38 ¥89.1

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$0.77 ¥5.12

33.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ¥16.96

$1.65 ¥10.98

54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$0.47 ¥3.13

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 ¥58.7

$17.73 ¥118

-50.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.96 ¥13.05

-13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 ¥42.21

$6.98 ¥46.48

-9.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$1.32 ¥8.75

-4.55%

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

$19.1K ¥127.4K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

-2.93%

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

$17.9K ¥119.3K

$18.4K ¥122.3K

-2.48%

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

$93.1 ¥620

$48.04 ¥320

93.82%

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

$6.38 ¥42.44

$10.04 ¥66.8

-36.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.71 ¥51.3

$15.02 ¥100.0

-48.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.02 ¥113

$52.8 ¥351

-67.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 ¥70.2

$20.00 ¥133

-47.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ¥50.3

$7.55 ¥50.2

0.13%

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

$1,293 ¥8,605

$577 ¥3,837

124.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K ¥238.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥373

$60.2 ¥401

-6.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ¥190

$42.24 ¥281

-32.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ¥742

$84.0 ¥559

32.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ¥924

$111 ¥736

25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,406

$552 ¥3,674

-34.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,418

$352 ¥2,341

-39.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 ¥5,776

$1,117 ¥7,433

-22.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥3,076

$627 ¥4,170

-26.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,773 ¥31.8K

$7,668 ¥51.0K

-37.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,240 ¥14.9K

$3,819 ¥25.4K

-41.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,173 ¥7,804

$1,582 ¥10.5K

-25.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.5

1.14%

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

Last update for Tianjin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tianjin

$226 26.5%

Hangzhou

$235 23.9% 3.9% $8.9

Accommodation & Living

Tianjin

$213 24.9%

Hangzhou

$352 35.7% 65.1% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Tianjin

$151 17.7%

Hangzhou

$134 13.6% 11.3% $17

Eating Out

Tianjin

$111 13%

Hangzhou

$100 10.2% 10.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tianjin

$107 12.6%

Hangzhou

$73 7.4% 31.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Tianjin

$32 3.8%

Hangzhou

$68 6.9% 111% $36

Getting Around

Tianjin

$14 1.6%

Hangzhou

$23 2.4% 72% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $362 in Tianjin versus $552 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 35% higher in Hangzhou. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Tianjin versus $26 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $235 – making Tianjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

Same time as Tianjin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,866,009

10,360,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Tianjin Hangzhou 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tianjin
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

Tianjin vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,281 per month in Tianjin and $1,477 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tianjin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $362 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

Groceries cost about 4% 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 $24 in Tianjin and $26 in Hangzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $854 in Tianjin and $985 in Hangzhou, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

If budget matters most, go with Tianjin. 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.