Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haikou and Colombo

For one person, living costs are similar in Haikou and in Colombo: $806 and $805 a month, rent and utilities included.

40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haikou and in Colombo

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 Colombo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $806 in Haikou versus $805 in Colombo.

Haikou $806
Colombo $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Haikou versus $1,211 in Colombo.

Haikou $1,152
Colombo $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,497 in Haikou versus $1,617 in Colombo.

Haikou $1,497
Colombo $1,617

Monthly costs are close between Haikou and Colombo; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Haikou 40% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ¥29.45

$3.89 LKR 1,287

13.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.72 ¥98.4

$24.55 LKR 8,130

-40.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ¥40.26

$7.60 LKR 2,519

-20.79%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.25

$2.55 LKR 845

-4.71%

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

$0.86 ¥5.74

$0.68 LKR 226

26.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.27

$0.27 LKR 89.8

25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$2.25 LKR 745

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ¥18.18

$3.08 LKR 1,019

-11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.26

$1.63 LKR 539

30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$0.58 LKR 191

155.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$0.77 LKR 255

-14.29%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.07

$1.72 LKR 571

-20.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 LKR 4,627

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ¥26.23

$4.79 LKR 1,587

-18.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 ¥103

$7.41 LKR 2,455

108.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.30

$6.54 LKR 2,168

-74.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$0.80 LKR 267

8.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$4.28 LKR 1,417

-74.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$1.29 LKR 427

-27.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$1.00 LKR 331

-11.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$0.77 LKR 256

-5.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.89 LKR 296

-47.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.42 LKR 140

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ¥20.68

$10.30 LKR 3,413

-70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$12.90 LKR 4,274

-32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.91 LKR 633

-70.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.93 LKR 969

-58.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.19 LKR 63.9

384.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥356

$7.27 LKR 2,407

632.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ¥14.66

$0.41 LKR 135

434.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.37 LKR 123

16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 LKR 305

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$1.34 LKR 445

-8.96%

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

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

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

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

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

$35.41 ¥237

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

-39.95%

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

$13.21 ¥88.3

$4.37 LKR 1,446

202.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.38 ¥89.4

$20.37 LKR 6,748

-34.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥305

$13.72 LKR 4,545

232.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.33 ¥42.35

$5.64 LKR 1,868

12.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 ¥30.10

$4.46 LKR 1,476

0.90%

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

$862 ¥5,762

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

2149.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

1509.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.00 ¥181

$18.16 LKR 6,016

48.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 ¥233

$16.76 LKR 5,550

108.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.76 ¥299

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

-43.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.57 ¥251

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

-11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,523

$578 LKR 191.3K

-34.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,966

$277 LKR 91.8K

6.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,808

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

-61.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ¥2,469

$433 LKR 143.4K

-14.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,154 ¥21.1K

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

-14.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 ¥14.6K

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

86.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$727 ¥4,859

$259 LKR 85.9K

180.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

12.69

-69.66%

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

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haikou

$294 36.5%

Colombo

$277 34.4% 5.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Haikou

$169 * 20.9%

Colombo

$236 29.3% 39.8% $67

Eating Out

Haikou

$100 12.4%

Colombo

$106 13.1% 5.5% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Haikou

$65 8.1%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 8.1% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haikou

$62 7.7%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 35% $22

Getting Around

Haikou

$61 7.6%

Colombo

$10 1.3% 83.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Haikou

$55 6.8%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 58.6% $32

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 $578 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Haikou pays 180% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15.00 in Haikou vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $236 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Haikou

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

10:31 10:31 AM

2 h 30 min behind Haikou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,873,358

753,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Haikou Colombo 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Haikou
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 180% higher in Haikou, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $377 in Haikou versus $578 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $862 in Haikou versus $38.30 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $15.00 in Haikou. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $805 in Colombo versus $806 in Haikou, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Haikou. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $805 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Haikou on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.