Climate
Hangzhou logs 105 hot days a year to Shanghai's 72 — Shanghai wins by 33. Shanghai also leads on frost days by 4.
Hangzhou
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Shanghai
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Shanghai averages $1,530/mo for balanced living; Hangzhou has no cost baseline yet.
Shanghai
$1,530monthly · balanced
Mobility
Shanghai scores 3.2 on mobility (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Shanghai's culture score of 4.0 sits well above Hangzhou's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Shanghai scores 3.2 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Shanghai scores 3.4 on safety (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no safety baseline.
Career
Shanghai scores 4.2 on career (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Shanghai scores 2.9 on social & community (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Shanghai scores 4.0 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Shanghai scores 3.8 on family (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Shanghai scores 2.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Hangzhou has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Hangzhou averages 34.2 µg/m³ (unhealthy) PM2.5 annually versus Shanghai's 34.1 µg/m³ (unhealthy) — Shanghai breathes ~0% cleaner air (0.1 µg/m³ lower).
Hangzhou
Shanghai
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Hangzhou (6.4M) and Shanghai (30.7M) are 4.8x in population — Shanghai is the larger metro, Hangzhou the smaller; on land area Shanghai spans roughly 2.1x more ground.
Shanghai is roughly 3.1x the scale of Hangzhou
Combined population & area comparison
City Scale Rankings
Hangzhou
Shanghai
Who Thrives Here
Hangzhou favours the winter escapist, while Shanghai suits the big city energy.
Frequently asked about Hangzhou vs Shanghai
▶Which is cheaper, Hangzhou or Shanghai?
▶How does the climate compare between Hangzhou and Shanghai?
▶Is Hangzhou or Shanghai safer?
▶Should I move to Hangzhou or Shanghai?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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