Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dushanbe and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $948 in Dushanbe, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Dushanbe
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Dushanbe Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Dushanbe

🇹🇯 Tajikistan

$948

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $948 per month in Dushanbe vs $806 in Haikou, rent included.

Dushanbe $948
Haikou $806

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Dushanbe vs $1,152 in Haikou, rent included.

Dushanbe $1,410
Haikou $1,152

A family of three spends $1,872 per month in Dushanbe vs $1,497 in Haikou, rent included.

Dushanbe $1,872
Haikou $1,497

Dushanbe costs about 18% more than Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dushanbe and Haikou are more affordable than the global median – Dushanbe 30% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 TJS 44.62

$4.40 ¥29.41

9.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.59 TJS 190

$14.72 ¥98.3

39.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 TJS 51.5

$6.02 ¥40.20

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$1.82 TJS 16.85

$2.43 ¥16.23

-25.10%

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

$0.61 TJS 5.65

$0.86 ¥5.73

-29.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 TJS 3.08

$0.34 ¥2.26

-2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 TJS 10.73

$1.51 ¥10.05

-23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 TJS 22.73

$2.72 ¥18.15

-9.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 TJS 9.78

$2.13 ¥14.24

-50.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 TJS 5.44

$1.48 ¥9.89

-60.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 TJS 21.46

$0.66 ¥4.39

251.52%

Eggs

$1.76 TJS 16.29

$1.36 ¥9.06

29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 TJS 103

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 TJS 41.08

$3.92 ¥26.20

13.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 TJS 108

$15.42 ¥103

-23.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 TJS 17.71

$1.69 ¥11.29

13.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 TJS 26.96

$0.87 ¥5.79

235.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 TJS 25.19

$1.11 ¥7.39

145.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 TJS 11.28

$0.93 ¥6.23

31.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 TJS 5.53

$0.89 ¥5.94

-32.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 TJS 3.75

$0.73 ¥4.85

-43.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 TJS 11.53

$0.47 ¥3.11

165.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 TJS 6.11

$0.57 ¥3.83

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 TJS 35.91

$3.09 ¥20.65

25.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 TJS 105

$8.76 ¥58.5

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 TJS 14.11

$0.57 ¥3.83

168.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 TJS 19.25

$1.23 ¥8.22

69.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 TJS 2.39

$0.92 ¥6.16

-71.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.21 TJS 298

$53.3 ¥356

-39.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 TJS 10.23

$2.19 ¥14.64

-49.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TJS 2.91

$0.43 ¥2.86

-27.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 TJS 60.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 TJS 10.87

$1.22 ¥8.14

-3.28%

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

$16.4K TJS 151.8K

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

$24.5K TJS 226.6K

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

$67.7 TJS 625

$35.41 ¥236

91.05%

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

$10.12 TJS 93.5

$13.21 ¥88.2

-23.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.24 TJS 159

$13.38 ¥89.3

28.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.46 TJS 429

$45.67 ¥305

1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.20 TJS 131

$6.33 ¥42.30

124.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.40 TJS 49.90

$4.50 ¥30.06

20.00%

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

$83.7 TJS 773

$862 ¥5,753

-90.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,749 TJS 53.1K

$19.5K ¥130.2K

-70.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.06 TJS 222

$27.00 ¥180

-10.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 TJS 483

$34.89 ¥233

49.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 TJS 729

$44.76 ¥299

76.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.2 TJS 528

$37.57 ¥251

52.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 TJS 5,867

$377 ¥2,519

68.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 TJS 3,269

$294 ¥1,964

20.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 TJS 8,147

$570 ¥3,803

54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 TJS 5,253

$369 ¥2,466

54.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,290 TJS 11.9K

$3,154 ¥21.1K

-59.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$709 TJS 6,547

$2,183 ¥14.6K

-67.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$435 TJS 4,017

$727 ¥4,852

-40.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.17

3.85

501.82%

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

Last update for Dushanbe: October 13, 2026

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dushanbe

$354 37.4%

Haikou

$294 36.5% 16.9% $60

Groceries & Markets

Dushanbe

$218 23%

Haikou

$169 * 20.9% 22.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Dushanbe

$96 10.1%

Haikou

$65 8.1% 32.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dushanbe

$95 10%

Haikou

$62 7.7% 34.8% $33

Eating Out

Dushanbe

$92 9.7%

Haikou

$100 12.4% 9.2% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dushanbe

$57 6%

Haikou

$55 6.8% 4.5% $2.6

Getting Around

Dushanbe

$36 3.8%

Haikou

$61 7.6% 70.6% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $635 in Dushanbe versus $377 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 run about 67% higher in Haikou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Dushanbe versus $15.00 in Haikou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $169 – making Haikou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇯 Dushanbe

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

3 h ahead of Dushanbe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

679,400 Capital

2,873,358

💱 Currency

Tajikistani Somoni TJS ЅМ

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TJS = 10.83 USD

100 TJS = 9.63 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to TJS – Tajikistani Somoni Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇯 Tajikistani Somoni (ЅМ)

Tajikistani Somoni exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.24 TJS (1 TJS = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.38 TJS (100 TJS = 9.63 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to TJS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dushanbe Haikou 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dushanbe
Haikou

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

Dushanbe vs Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dushanbe is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,421 per month in Dushanbe and $1,209 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $83.7 per month in Dushanbe and $862 in Haikou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Dushanbe, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Haikou, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Dushanbe at $948. In Haikou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dushanbe it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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