Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yiwu and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $550 per month in Yiwu vs $985 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Yiwu $550
Hangzhou $985

A couple spends around $1,299 per month in Yiwu vs $1,533 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Yiwu $1,299
Hangzhou $1,533

A family of three spends $2,048 per month in Yiwu vs $2,080 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Yiwu $2,048
Hangzhou $2,080

Yiwu is about 44% cheaper than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Yiwu and Hangzhou are more affordable than the global median – Yiwu 60% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.88 ¥19.15

$3.73 ¥24.81

-22.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.56 ¥197

$26.03 ¥173

13.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 ¥35.06

$4.68 ¥31.15

12.61%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$3.48 ¥23.18

-2.01%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.61 ¥4.05

-4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$0.33 ¥2.20

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$1.22 ¥8.09

0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥15.28

$2.23 ¥14.82

3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.82

$1.84 ¥12.22

-3.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.91

$1.61 ¥10.72

20.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.10 ¥7.33

-6.36%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.27

$2.11 ¥14.02

-19.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$19.06 ¥127

-11.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.04

$3.74 ¥24.90

-11.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ¥86.0

$10.29 ¥68.5

25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.33

$2.32 ¥15.44

-7.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.34 ¥8.93

29.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.52 ¥10.11

33.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.27

$1.53 ¥10.19

10.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$0.94 ¥6.23

-12.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.09

$0.94 ¥6.27

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.26

$0.63 ¥4.18

1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.55 ¥3.65

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.52

$4.02 ¥26.76

-4.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 ¥71.7

$13.38 ¥89.1

-19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$0.77 ¥5.12

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.32

$1.65 ¥10.98

-6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ¥3.06

$0.47 ¥3.13

-2.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.73 ¥118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$1.96 ¥13.05

-29.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.38 ¥2.55

23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.98 ¥59.8

$6.98 ¥46.48

28.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.32 ¥8.75

-3.79%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

0.60%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$18.4K ¥122.3K

-0.72%

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

$57.7 ¥384

$48.04 ¥320

20.07%

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

$7.89 ¥52.5

$10.04 ¥66.8

-21.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.44 ¥69.5

$15.02 ¥100.0

-30.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.16 ¥101

$52.8 ¥351

-71.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$20.00 ¥133

-43.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 ¥47.19

$7.55 ¥50.2

-6.09%

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

$1,606 ¥10.7K

$577 ¥3,837

178.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥186.9K

$35.8K ¥238.2K

-21.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$60.2 ¥401

-7.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 ¥252

$42.24 ¥281

-10.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ¥509

$84.0 ¥559

-9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 ¥496

$111 ¥736

-32.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,035

$552 ¥3,674

-17.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,024

$1,117 ¥7,433

-5.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 ¥5,051

$627 ¥4,171

21.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K ¥79.1K

$7,668 ¥51.0K

54.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,935 ¥19.5K

$3,819 ¥25.4K

-23.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ¥5,035

$1,582 ¥10.5K

-52.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.5

-4.00%

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

Last update for Yiwu: 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

Yiwu

$235 42.7%

Hangzhou

$235 23.9% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Yiwu

$110 20%

Hangzhou

$134 13.6% 21.5% $24

Eating Out

Yiwu

$94 17.2%

Hangzhou

$100 10.2% 6% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yiwu

$76 13.8%

Hangzhou

$73 7.4% 3.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Yiwu

$29 5.3%

Hangzhou

$68 6.9% 131% $39

Getting Around

Yiwu

$5.6 * 1%

Hangzhou

$23 2.4% 323% $18

Accommodation & Living

Yiwu

- * 0%

Hangzhou

$352 35.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $456 in Yiwu 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 in Hangzhou are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Yiwu versus $26 in Hangzhou. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Yiwu vs $235 in Hangzhou – so Yiwu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

Same time as Yiwu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,015

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

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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

Yiwu vs Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $825 per month in Yiwu 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 Yiwu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $456 there versus $552 in Hangzhou.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Yiwu and $26 in Hangzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,606 per month in Yiwu and $577 in Hangzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Hangzhou at $985. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

If budget matters most, go with Yiwu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.