Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $832 per month in Xiamen vs $985 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Xiamen $832
Hangzhou $985

A couple spends around $1,337 per month in Xiamen vs $1,533 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Xiamen $1,337
Hangzhou $1,533

A family of three spends $1,842 per month in Xiamen vs $2,080 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Xiamen $1,842
Hangzhou $2,080

Xiamen is about 16% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Xiamen and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Xiamen 39% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.49

$3.73 ¥24.76

-21.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$26.03 ¥173

-9.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.52

$4.68 ¥31.09

11.11%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.06

$3.48 ¥23.13

-26.15%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.61 ¥4.05

-22.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.33 ¥2.20

6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$1.22 ¥8.07

23.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.57

$2.23 ¥14.79

32.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.84 ¥12.20

-20.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$1.61 ¥10.70

41.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$1.10 ¥7.31

-13.64%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.87

$2.11 ¥13.99

-22.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.8

$19.06 ¥127

-36.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.24

$3.74 ¥24.85

-34.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.1

$10.29 ¥68.4

14.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.16

$2.32 ¥15.41

11.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.80

$1.34 ¥8.91

10.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$1.52 ¥10.09

9.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.23

$1.53 ¥10.17

30.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.47

$0.94 ¥6.21

3.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.04

$0.94 ¥6.26

92.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.15

$0.63 ¥4.17

47.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$0.55 ¥3.64

-1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.36

$4.02 ¥26.71

-27.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$13.38 ¥88.9

-14.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$0.77 ¥5.11

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.55

$1.65 ¥10.96

5.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.47 ¥3.12

-65.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$17.73 ¥118

-32.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$1.96 ¥13.02

-25.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.38 ¥2.54

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.07

$6.98 ¥46.38

5.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.32 ¥8.74

0.76%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$19.7K ¥131.0K

0.08%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$18.4K ¥122.1K

-4.44%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$48.04 ¥319

-10.01%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$10.04 ¥66.7

-13.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥68.9

$15.02 ¥99.8

-30.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$52.8 ¥350

-10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$20.00 ¥133

-48.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.0

$7.55 ¥50.1

35.63%

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

$496 ¥3,297

$577 ¥3,829

-13.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$35.8K ¥237.7K

-30.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥260

$60.2 ¥400

-34.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$42.24 ¥281

-30.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$84.0 ¥558

27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥561

$111 ¥734

-23.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$552 ¥3,667

-36.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,766

$352 ¥2,336

-24.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,587

$1,117 ¥7,418

-24.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,610

$627 ¥4,162

-13.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.0K

$7,668 ¥50.9K

12.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$3,819 ¥25.4K

26.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,833

$1,582 ¥10.5K

-25.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.5

-1.14%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Hangzhou

$352 35.7% 32.3% $86

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Hangzhou

$235 23.9% 8.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Hangzhou

$134 13.6% 14.2% $17

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Hangzhou

$100 10.2% 15.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Hangzhou

$68 6.9% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Hangzhou

$73 7.4% 17.3% $11

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Hangzhou

$23 2.4% 51.8% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in Xiamen 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 34% higher in Hangzhou. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Xiamen versus $26 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $235 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

Same time as Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

10,360,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Xiamen Hangzhou 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

Xiamen vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,248 per month in Xiamen 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 Xiamen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Hangzhou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Xiamen and $26 in Hangzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Xiamen – 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 Xiamen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.