Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haikou and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haikou and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $806 in Haikou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Haikou $806
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Haikou versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Haikou $1,152
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,497 in Haikou versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Haikou $1,497
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Haikou costs roughly 70% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Haikou is 40% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ¥29.45

$20.77 $20.77

-78.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.72 ¥98.4

$84.6 $84.6

-82.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ¥40.26

$12.32 $12.32

-51.14%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.25

$5.63 $5.63

-56.84%

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

$0.86 ¥5.74

$3.72 $3.72

-76.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.27

$2.50 $2.50

-86.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$8.05 $8.05

-81.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ¥18.18

$9.01 $9.01

-69.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.26

$1.12 $1.12

90.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$3.75 $3.75

-60.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$3.26 $3.26

-79.75%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.07

$4.17 $4.17

-67.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ¥26.23

$14.16 $14.16

-72.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 ¥103

$16.22 $16.22

-4.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.30

$4.33 $4.33

-60.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.46 $1.46

-40.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$4.51 $4.51

-75.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$4.34 $4.34

-78.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$2.58 $2.58

-65.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$2.35 $2.35

-68.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.78 $1.78

-73.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$2.22 $2.22

-74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ¥20.68

$9.88 $9.88

-68.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$15.08 $15.08

-41.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.84

$2.92 $2.92

-80.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.46 $3.46

-64.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.49 $1.49

-38.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥356

$41.72 $41.72

27.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ¥14.66

$2.73 $2.73

-19.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$1.66 $1.66

-74.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$0.95 $0.95

28.42%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

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

$27.1K $27.1K

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

$35.41 ¥237

$229 $229

-84.54%

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

$13.21 ¥88.3

$59.4 $59.4

-77.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.38 ¥89.4

$69.9 $69.9

-80.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥305

$57.2 $57.2

-20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.33 ¥42.35

$16.33 $16.33

-61.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 ¥30.10

$14.28 $14.28

-68.49%

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

$862 ¥5,762

$1,506 $1,506

-42.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$21.5K $21.5K

-9.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.00 ¥181

$52.8 $52.8

-48.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 ¥233

$43.82 $43.82

-20.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.76 ¥299

$84.8 $84.8

-47.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.57 ¥251

$103 $103

-63.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,523

$1,907 $1,907

-80.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,966

$1,274 $1,274

-76.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,808

$3,664 $3,664

-84.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ¥2,469

$2,538 $2,538

-85.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,154 ¥21.1K

$7,614 $7,614

-58.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 ¥14.6K

$3,157 $3,157

-30.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$727 ¥4,859

$5,121 $5,121

-85.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

6.79

-43.30%

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

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haikou

$294 36.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 333% $980

Groceries & Markets

Haikou

$169 * 20.9%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 140% $236

Eating Out

Haikou

$100 12.4%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 253% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Haikou

$65 8.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 97.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haikou

$62 7.7%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 478% $296

Getting Around

Haikou

$61 7.6%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 4.3% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Haikou

$55 6.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 56.9% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $377 in Haikou and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 605% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Haikou vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $405 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Haikou

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

11:39 11:39 AM

13 h behind Haikou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,873,358

974,447

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Haikou Austin, TX 13,670 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Haikou
Austin, TX

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

Haikou vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haikou wins on cost – living expenses run 231% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Haikou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 605% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $377 in Haikou versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $806 per month in Haikou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 231% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haikou runs roughly 28% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Haikou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Haikou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Haikou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 231% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.