Best Cities in China
ShanghaiShanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Chengdu form a five-city comparison across affordability, safety, healthcare, career, culture and food, and public life. Shanghai has the broader all-round edge, and Beijing sets the pace on culture and food. The best fit depends on which relocation priorities matter most.
How they compare
- Shanghai
- Beijing
- Hangzhou
- Suzhou
- Chengdu
Objective 0–100 scores from source-backed CrossBorders data. Green marks the category leader; gold is the overall leader.
Category by category
Which city is the most affordable?
Chengdu has the lowest open-market one-bedroom rent on a new lease in this group, at about €364 per month; Shanghai has the highest, at about €745. Against one typical employee's mean net pay, Suzhou has the lightest burden at roughly 68% (sharing likely), while Shanghai has the heaviest at roughly 111% (solo unlikely).
Which city is the safest?
Safety is a flat line across all five cities: every one scores exactly 78, among the safest ratings anywhere in the index. Violent crime and petty theft are rare in each, though the same asterisk applies everywhere — the wider political environment scores low on openness.
Which city has the best healthcare?
Beijing edges ahead on healthcare at 55, its top hospitals a notch above the rest, with Shanghai close behind at 53. Chengdu, Hangzhou and Suzhou all tie at 52 — solid mid-tier care everywhere, but English-speaking doctors are scarce across the whole set.
Which city is best for your career?
Beijing leads career at 66, just ahead of Shanghai's 64 — the two giants dominating China's job market with deep networks in finance, tech and government. Hangzhou (58), Suzhou (57) and Chengdu (56) trail at a real distance, each strong in its own regional niche.
Which city has the best food and culture?
Beijing narrowly tops culture and food at 72, ahead of Shanghai's 71 — the imperial capital's historic depth just edging Shanghai's cosmopolitan dining scene. Chengdu and Hangzhou tie at 67, and Suzhou trails at 61, its everyday cultural life the quietest of the five.
Which city has the best public life?
Hangzhou and Suzhou share the lead on public life at 72, both built around scenic, walkable water — West Lake and Suzhou's canals respectively. Shanghai and Chengdu tie at 67, and Beijing trails slightly at 64, its monumental scale imposing but its outskirts wearing less evenly.
The verdict
Shanghai offers the broadest all-round balance, with Beijing strongest in culture and food. Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Chengdu remain alternatives where their category strengths match your priorities. Use the category trade-offs and local rent burden to narrow the field.
Explore each city
More comparisons
The fastest way to test a shortlist is to go. A week on the ground tells you things no ranking can.
See places to stay in Shanghai →Partner links — we may earn a commission. Never affects your ranking.