Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haikou and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $813 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haikou and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Haikou versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Haikou $813
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,165 in Haikou versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Haikou $1,165
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,516 in Haikou versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Haikou $1,516
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Haikou costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Haikou is 40% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 ¥29.87

$16.65 €14.91

-73.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.88 ¥99.0

$61.7 €55.3

-75.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ¥39.45

$11.36 €10.17

-47.80%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.62

$2.97 €2.66

-15.82%

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

$0.84 ¥5.59

$2.29 €2.05

-63.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ¥2.44

$1.74 €1.56

-78.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ¥10.09

$3.40 €3.05

-55.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ¥18.43

$3.31 €2.96

-16.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 ¥14.12

$1.16 €1.04

82.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.38

$1.91 €1.71

-26.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$1.51 €1.35

-54.30%

Eggs

$1.37 ¥9.12

$4.02 €3.60

-65.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 ¥26.43

$7.77 €6.96

-48.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 ¥103

$17.76 €15.91

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 ¥11.64

$2.30 €2.06

-23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.73 €1.55

-46.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.86 €1.66

-41.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.24

$2.59 €2.32

-63.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$1.82 €1.63

-52.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.90

$1.97 €1.76

-62.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.47 €1.32

-70.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.72 €0.65

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ¥21.11

$6.58 €5.90

-51.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 ¥60.0

$5.61 €5.02

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$1.36 €1.22

-54.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.77

$2.14 €1.91

-45.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ¥5.71

$2.33 €2.09

-63.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ¥365

$44.68 €40.01

22.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ¥15.25

$3.85 €3.45

-40.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$1.07 €0.96

-56.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$2.20 €1.97

-42.27%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

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

$38.7K €34.7K

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

$36.44 ¥242

$161 €144

-77.40%

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

$13.45 ¥89.5

$18.41 €16.49

-26.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.72 ¥91.3

$32.74 €29.32

-58.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.34 ¥308

$44.55 €39.90

4.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.51 ¥43.30

$19.10 €17.10

-65.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.62 ¥30.74

$9.60 €8.60

-51.87%

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

$871 ¥5,795

$668 €598

30.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥131.3K

$17.6K €15.8K

12.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.29 ¥182

$102 €91.4

-73.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.76 ¥238

$44.46 €39.82

-19.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.30 ¥295

$98.5 €88.2

-55.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.38 ¥255

$124 €111

-68.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,463

$1,608 €1,440

-76.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,956

$1,190 €1,066

-75.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 ¥3,801

$2,812 €2,519

-79.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ¥2,489

$2,013 €1,803

-81.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,265 ¥21.7K

$7,839 €7,021

-58.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,136 ¥14.2K

$4,576 €4,098

-53.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$715 ¥4,757

$1,575 €1,411

-54.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Haikou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haikou

$294 36.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 305% $896

Groceries & Markets

Haikou

$169 * 20.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 60.8% $103

Eating Out

Haikou

$102 12.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 139% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Haikou

$66 8.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 153% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haikou

$64 7.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 234% $149

Getting Around

Haikou

$63 7.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 0.3% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Haikou

$56 6.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 14.7% $8.2

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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2.2 times 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 in Haikou vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $272 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Haikou

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

00:31 12:31 AM

8 h behind Haikou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,873,358

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Haikou Lisbon 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Haikou
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $813 in Haikou and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Haikou is about 63% 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 $1,608 in Lisbon. 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 $2,210 in Lisbon – Haikou is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lisbon runs roughly 19% less than in Haikou. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $813 in Haikou versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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.

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