Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urumqi and Hangzhou

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.

29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
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Urumqi Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Urumqi $605
Hangzhou $1,023

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

Urumqi $960
Hangzhou $1,574

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

Urumqi $1,316
Hangzhou $2,125

Urumqi is about 41% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.29 ¥21.98

$3.82 ¥25.52

-13.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.16 ¥121

$25.78 ¥172

-29.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.30

$4.72 ¥31.55

11.86%

Cappuccino

$2.87 ¥19.19

$3.44 ¥23.02

-16.57%

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

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.61 ¥4.07

-24.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ¥1.59

$0.33 ¥2.22

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ¥7.63

$1.19 ¥7.93

-4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ¥11.83

$2.26 ¥15.11

-21.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.82 ¥12.20

-31.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.68 ¥11.22

-44.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.10 ¥7.38

-43.64%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.28

$2.08 ¥13.89

-25.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.13 ¥40.96

$19.25 ¥129

-68.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ¥16.63

$3.77 ¥25.18

-33.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.3

$10.09 ¥67.5

-4.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.62

$2.37 ¥15.84

-13.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$1.34 ¥8.97

-8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.43

$1.50 ¥10.06

24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.11

$1.54 ¥10.27

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.93 ¥6.20

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$0.92 ¥6.17

-32.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 ¥3.33

$0.68 ¥4.55

-26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ¥3.00

$0.57 ¥3.83

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$4.20 ¥28.08

-30.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.51 ¥70.3

$13.70 ¥91.6

-23.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$0.80 ¥5.32

36.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.72 ¥11.47

-14.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.62 ¥4.16

-53.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.08 ¥121

$17.96 ¥120

0.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$1.93 ¥12.89

-23.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.38 ¥2.56

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.30 ¥48.80

$6.96 ¥46.52

4.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.37 ¥9.17

-10.22%

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

$17.9K ¥119.5K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

-6.63%

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

$13.9K ¥93.2K

$18.8K ¥125.9K

-25.98%

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

$66.5 ¥444

$47.48 ¥317

39.95%

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

$5.43 ¥36.33

$10.02 ¥67.0

-45.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.29 ¥75.5

$14.74 ¥98.6

-23.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.12 ¥148

$51.0 ¥341

-56.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.40 ¥62.8

$19.35 ¥129

-51.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ¥38.90

$7.44 ¥49.77

-21.77%

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

$161 ¥1,078

$578 ¥3,863

-72.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,005 ¥60.2K

$36.1K ¥241.5K

-75.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 ¥351

$58.1 ¥388

-9.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.05 ¥147

$42.37 ¥283

-47.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 ¥712

$86.5 ¥578

23.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.33 ¥296

$110 ¥736

-59.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ¥1,748

$623 ¥4,167

-58.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 ¥784

$390 ¥2,605

-69.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 ¥2,708

$1,199 ¥8,019

-66.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,678

$672 ¥4,495

-62.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,834 ¥12.3K

$7,857 ¥52.5K

-76.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,159 ¥7,748

$3,778 ¥25.3K

-69.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,114 ¥7,449

$1,583 ¥10.6K

-29.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

3.5

-3.14%

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

Last update for Urumqi: 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

Urumqi

$158 26.2%

Hangzhou

$237 23.2% 49.8% $79

Accommodation & Living

Urumqi

$117 19.4%

Hangzhou

$390 38.1% 232% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Urumqi

$101 16.8%

Hangzhou

$134 13.1% 31.7% $32

Eating Out

Urumqi

$89 14.7%

Hangzhou

$100 9.8% 13.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urumqi

$83 13.8%

Hangzhou

$72 7.1% 13.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Urumqi

$34 5.6%

Hangzhou

$66 6.4% 95.3% $32

Getting Around

Urumqi

$22 3.7%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 9.7% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

2 h ahead of Urumqi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,054,369

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

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Between locations

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

From you

Urumqi
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

Urumqi vs Hangzhou: 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 $907 per month in Urumqi 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 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 $18.00 in Urumqi 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 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.