Hangzhou International School
American
- IB Diploma average points: 33 points (2026) · source
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inHangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Zhejiang, China11.9MUpper middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Fumihiko Ueno
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 1.98x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). China: $25,067/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 65% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
2.8x further
Prices are 65% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
8.1x further
Prices are 88% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.5x further
Prices are 61% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
4.0x further
Prices are 75% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Upper Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$25,067
PPP, International $
City Population
11.9M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$559/mo
1BR Outside Center$319/mo
3BR City Center$1,192/mo
3BR Outside Center$672/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$3.62
Mid-Range (2 people)$29
Milk (1L)$2.19
Eggs (12)$2.01
Transport
Monthly Pass$23
Gasoline (1L)$1.14
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$51/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$15/mo
Education
Preschool$532/mo
Intl Primary School$30,191/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes China as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
Quality
Good public schools
Expat access
Legally possible, hard in practice
hardInstruction
Mandarin
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
China's public system is academically strong, but the standard local-school path is not designed around short-horizon expat families.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident enrollment is sometimes possible, but hukou or local assignment practices and Mandarin-medium instruction make the public route hard in practice.
🚫 Homeschooling
Homeschooling not legalChina's Compulsory Education Law requires all children to attend school. Homeschooling is illegal and the law is enforced. Some underground homeschooling communities exist but face legal risk.
Homeschool legality in China — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
4 more suggested by AI, not verified
Typical fee
$41,765/yr
one school's published fee
- American1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
How schools rank by exam results →Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$800-$1,100
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$1,500-$2,000
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Hangzhou: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 81/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
81/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
International airport
Hangzhou Xiaoshan gives the city deep domestic coverage plus practical regional and long-haul access across the Yangtze River Delta.
Urban transit
Metro and bus
metrobus
Hangzhou Metro gives the city a real high-capacity backbone, with buses covering practical family trips beyond the strongest corridors.
Rideshare
Taxi and app-hailed rides
Taxi-hailing and app-booked rides are a routine complement for airport runs and neighborhood gaps outside the metro grid.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in China.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
171 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, strong doctor availability, and solid hospital-bed capacity support this rating.
Public care
StrongBroad public coverage, country-level outcomes are comparatively strong, and a visible public hospital footprint support this rating.
Private care
MixedA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
85/100
2023
Physicians
3.11/1k
2022
Hospital beds
5.63/1k
2023
Out of pocket
32%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
78.0 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
16/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
2.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedThere is visible specialty depth and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Hospital: 134Clinic: 18Pharmacy: 17Dentist: 1Laboratory: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in China yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
杭州富春中医骨伤医院
Hospital · Emergency
orthopaedics
浙江省新华医院
Hospital · Emergency
浙医一院
Hospital · Emergency
浙江传媒学院卫生所
Hospital · Emergency
浦沿卫生院
Hospital · Emergency
滨江诚铭门诊
Hospital · Emergency
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index85/100
Crime Index15/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.30
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2022 annual wages in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China · Source: NBS (province-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
big mac
$3.97Estimated36% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.62Estimated52% cheaper
budget hotel
$229.05Survey-verified531% more
childcare preschool
$532.27Estimated66% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.01Estimated58% cheaper
gasoline liter
$18.01Survey-verified1648% more
inexpensive meal
$14.21Survey-verified33% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$15.49Estimated77% cheaper
iphone
$1099.00Estimated10% more
luxury hotel
$229.05Survey-verified52% cheaper
milk liter
$2.19Estimated80% more
monthly pass
$18.01Survey-verified74% cheaper
rent 1br
$700.70Survey-verified61% cheaper
rent 3br
$1192.11Estimated63% cheaper
taxi km
$0.32Estimated83% cheaper
utilities basic
$50.72Estimated76% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
evisa
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Hangzhou compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.0x further in Hangzhou than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Hangzhou cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Hangzhou is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 65% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Hangzhou.
How does rent in Hangzhou compare with New York City?
Rent in Hangzhou is about 88% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Hangzhou?
Groceries in Hangzhou are about 61% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 75% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China and the headquarters of Alibaba and Ant Group, with about 9.2 million residents around the West Lake roughly 175 kilometers southwest of Shanghai. The city has become one of the leading centers of Chinese e-commerce and fintech, anchors a cluster of private technology firms, and offers relocators a humid subtropical climate moderated somewhat by the lake. Rents have risen sharply as Hangzhou has emerged as a Tier 1.5 city, though they remain below Shanghai and Beijing. International schooling clusters in Binjiang and the Future Sci-Tech City, high-speed rail puts Shanghai within an hour, and the city retains a stronger sense of historic urban form than most Chinese megacities.
Subtropical climate: hot/humid summers, mild wintersWorld-class 5G/fiber internet with VPN considerationsGrowing expat community with established social networksHighly walkable with excellent metro systemDiverse food scene blending traditional Zhejiang and international cuisinesVibrant nightlife in Hubin and West Lake areas100+ coworking spaces catering to remote workersGenerally safe for foreigners with good public security
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