Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $813 a month against $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin), rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,197

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beijing (Pekin) and in Haikou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Beijing (Pekin) and in Haikou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,197 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $813 in Haikou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,197
Haikou $813

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,165 in Haikou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,913
Haikou $1,165

A family of three spends $2,630 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,516 in Haikou, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,630
Haikou $1,516

Beijing (Pekin) costs about 47% more than Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Haikou are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 ¥29.39

$4.49 ¥29.87

-1.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 ¥197

$14.88 ¥99.0

99.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.37 ¥35.76

$5.93 ¥39.45

-9.44%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.81

$2.50 ¥16.62

49.20%

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

$0.56 ¥3.71

$0.84 ¥5.59

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.37 ¥2.44

-21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$1.52 ¥10.09

-21.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$2.77 ¥18.43

-37.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ¥11.42

$2.12 ¥14.12

-18.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.80

$1.41 ¥9.38

25.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.69 ¥4.60

86.96%

Eggs

$1.91 ¥12.74

$1.37 ¥9.12

39.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ¥97.8

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.46

$3.97 ¥26.43

-18.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥74.7

$15.52 ¥103

-27.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ¥14.15

$1.75 ¥11.64

21.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.88

$0.93 ¥6.21

92.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.62

$1.09 ¥7.27

88.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$0.94 ¥6.24

62.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.86 ¥5.73

-13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.74 ¥4.90

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.43 ¥2.88

60.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.56 ¥3.73

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥29.57

$3.17 ¥21.11

40.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.00 ¥93.2

$9.01 ¥60.0

55.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.84

$0.62 ¥4.14

66.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.17 ¥7.77

53.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.89

$0.86 ¥5.71

-31.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.53 ¥216

$54.9 ¥365

-40.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ¥13.33

$2.29 ¥15.25

-12.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.47 ¥3.13

-29.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 ¥51.1

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.27 ¥8.48

2.36%

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

$19.7K ¥131.3K

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

$18.0K ¥119.8K

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

$58.8 ¥392

$36.44 ¥242

61.47%

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

$8.71 ¥58.0

$13.45 ¥89.5

-35.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ¥96.6

$13.72 ¥91.3

5.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 ¥311

$46.34 ¥308

0.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.48 ¥163

$6.51 ¥43.30

276.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ¥50.6

$4.62 ¥30.74

64.50%

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

$985 ¥6,555

$871 ¥5,795

13.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.1K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

24.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ¥480

$27.29 ¥182

164.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.22 ¥268

$35.76 ¥238

12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 ¥577

$44.30 ¥295

95.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ¥839

$38.38 ¥255

228.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,209

$370 ¥2,463

152.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ¥3,523

$294 ¥1,956

80.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$571 ¥3,801

298.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ¥7,292

$374 ¥2,489

193.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.6K

$3,265 ¥21.7K

261.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,566 ¥43.7K

$2,136 ¥14.2K

207.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 ¥11.4K

$715 ¥4,757

138.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

3.85

-18.96%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 26, 2026

Last update for Haikou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$530 44.2%

Haikou

$294 36.2% 44.5% $236

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$230 19.2%

Haikou

$169 * 20.8% 26.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$146 12.2%

Haikou

$66 8.1% 55.2% $81

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.1%

Haikou

$102 12.5% 6.8% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 6.9%

Haikou

$64 7.8% 22.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Haikou

$56 6.8% 10.2% $6.3

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$39 3.2%

Haikou

$63 7.8% 63.6% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $370 in Haikou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Beijing (Pekin) are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $15 in Haikou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $169 – making Haikou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

Same time as Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

2,873,358

💱 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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Beijing (Pekin) Haikou 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Beijing (Pekin)
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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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Beijing (Pekin) is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,796 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,219 in Haikou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haikou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $370 there versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $15 in Haikou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,197 in Beijing (Pekin) and $813 in Haikou. That makes Haikou about 32% cheaper.

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