Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haikou and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $813 a month against $985 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haikou and in Hangzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Haikou versus $985 in Hangzhou.

Haikou $813
Hangzhou $985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,165 in Haikou versus $1,533 in Hangzhou.

Haikou $1,165
Hangzhou $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,516 in Haikou versus $2,080 in Hangzhou.

Haikou $1,516
Hangzhou $2,080

Living in Haikou costs roughly 17% less than in Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Haikou 40% lower, Hangzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 ¥29.83

$3.73 ¥24.78

20.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.88 ¥98.9

$26.03 ¥173

-42.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ¥39.40

$4.68 ¥31.10

26.71%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.59

$3.48 ¥23.15

-28.16%

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

$0.84 ¥5.58

$0.61 ¥4.05

37.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ¥2.44

$0.33 ¥2.20

12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ¥10.07

$1.22 ¥8.07

24.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ¥18.41

$2.23 ¥14.80

24.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 ¥14.10

$1.84 ¥12.20

15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.37

$1.61 ¥10.71

-12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.59

$1.10 ¥7.32

-37.27%

Eggs

$1.37 ¥9.11

$2.11 ¥14.00

-35.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ¥127

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 ¥26.39

$3.74 ¥24.87

6.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 ¥103

$10.29 ¥68.4

50.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 ¥11.62

$2.32 ¥15.41

-24.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.34 ¥8.91

-30.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.26

$1.52 ¥10.09

-28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$1.53 ¥10.18

-38.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.72

$0.94 ¥6.22

-8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.89

$0.94 ¥6.26

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.63 ¥4.17

-31.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.55 ¥3.65

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ¥21.08

$4.02 ¥26.72

-21.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 ¥59.9

$13.38 ¥88.9

-32.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$0.77 ¥5.11

-19.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.76

$1.65 ¥10.96

-29.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ¥5.70

$0.47 ¥3.13

82.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ¥365

$17.73 ¥118

209.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.23

$1.96 ¥13.03

16.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$0.38 ¥2.55

23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 ¥46.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$1.32 ¥8.74

-3.79%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

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

$18.4K ¥122.2K

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

$36.44 ¥242

$48.04 ¥319

-24.15%

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

$13.45 ¥89.4

$10.04 ¥66.7

33.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.72 ¥91.2

$15.02 ¥99.8

-8.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.34 ¥308

$52.8 ¥351

-12.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.51 ¥43.24

$20.00 ¥133

-67.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.62 ¥30.70

$7.55 ¥50.2

-38.81%

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

$871 ¥5,787

$577 ¥3,831

51.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$35.8K ¥237.8K

-44.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.29 ¥181

$60.2 ¥400

-54.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.76 ¥238

$42.24 ¥281

-15.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.30 ¥294

$84.0 ¥558

-47.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.38 ¥255

$111 ¥735

-65.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,460

$552 ¥3,669

-32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,954

$352 ¥2,337

-16.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 ¥3,796

$1,117 ¥7,422

-48.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ¥2,485

$627 ¥4,164

-40.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,265 ¥21.7K

$7,668 ¥51.0K

-57.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,136 ¥14.2K

$3,819 ¥25.4K

-44.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$715 ¥4,750

$1,582 ¥10.5K

-54.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.5

10.00%

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

Last update for Haikou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haikou

$294 36.2%

Hangzhou

$352 35.7% 19.6% $58

Groceries & Markets

Haikou

$169 * 20.8%

Hangzhou

$235 23.9% 38.8% $66

Eating Out

Haikou

$102 12.5%

Hangzhou

$100 10.2% 1.6% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Haikou

$66 8.1%

Hangzhou

$134 13.6% 104% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haikou

$64 7.8%

Hangzhou

$73 7.4% 14.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Haikou

$63 7.8%

Hangzhou

$23 2.4% 62.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Haikou

$56 6.8%

Hangzhou

$68 6.9% 22.1% $12

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 $370 in Haikou and $552 in Hangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Haikou vs $26 in Hangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $235 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Haikou

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

Same time as Haikou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,873,358

10,360,000

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Haikou Hangzhou 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Haikou
Hangzhou

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 Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $813 in Haikou and $985 in Hangzhou, so Haikou is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Haikou. 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: $370 in Haikou versus $552 in Hangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $813 per month in Haikou versus $985 in Hangzhou – Haikou is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Hangzhou runs roughly 68% less than in Haikou. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Haikou gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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