Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haikou and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $1,138 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haikou and in Shenzhen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $806 in Haikou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen.

Haikou $806
Shenzhen $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Haikou versus $1,750 in Shenzhen.

Haikou $1,152
Shenzhen $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,497 in Haikou versus $2,362 in Shenzhen.

Haikou $1,497
Shenzhen $2,362

Living in Haikou costs roughly 29% less than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Haikou 40% lower, Shenzhen 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ¥29.45

$3.67 ¥24.53

19.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.72 ¥98.4

$29.43 ¥197

-49.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 ¥40.26

$5.28 ¥35.28

14.02%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.25

$3.27 ¥21.83

-25.69%

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

$0.86 ¥5.74

$0.54 ¥3.63

59.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.27

$0.33 ¥2.20

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$1.53 ¥10.23

-1.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ¥18.18

$2.15 ¥14.38

26.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ¥14.26

$1.62 ¥10.85

31.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$1.62 ¥10.85

-8.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$1.09 ¥7.27

-39.45%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.07

$1.71 ¥11.44

-20.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.39 ¥143

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ¥26.23

$3.45 ¥23.08

13.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 ¥103

$14.25 ¥95.3

8.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.30

$2.34 ¥15.64

-27.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$1.58 ¥10.55

-44.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$1.95 ¥13.03

-43.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$1.47 ¥9.85

-36.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$1.08 ¥7.21

-17.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$1.25 ¥8.35

-41.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.59 ¥3.97

-20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.59 ¥3.95

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ¥20.68

$4.41 ¥29.47

-29.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$11.73 ¥78.4

-25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.98 ¥6.57

-41.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.75 ¥11.69

-29.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$0.63 ¥4.20

46.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥356

$22.28 ¥149

139.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ¥14.66

$1.45 ¥9.71

51.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.39 ¥2.60

10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.93

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$1.34 ¥8.97

-8.96%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

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

$35.41 ¥237

$65.1 ¥435

-45.61%

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

$13.21 ¥88.3

$10.25 ¥68.5

28.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.38 ¥89.4

$16.17 ¥108

-17.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥305

$48.78 ¥326

-6.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.33 ¥42.35

$17.24 ¥115

-63.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 ¥30.10

$7.51 ¥50.2

-40.08%

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

$862 ¥5,762

$538 ¥3,596

60.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$24.3K ¥162.2K

-19.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.00 ¥181

$54.9 ¥367

-50.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 ¥233

$40.04 ¥268

-12.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.76 ¥299

$72.4 ¥484

-38.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.57 ¥251

$93.4 ¥624

-59.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,523

$768 ¥5,135

-50.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,966

$486 ¥3,248

-39.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 ¥3,808

$1,982 ¥13.3K

-71.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ¥2,469

$869 ¥5,813

-57.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,154 ¥21.1K

$13.8K ¥92.0K

-77.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 ¥14.6K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-64.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$727 ¥4,859

$1,736 ¥11.6K

-58.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.35

14.93%

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

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haikou

$294 36.5%

Shenzhen

$486 42.7% 65.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Haikou

$169 * 20.9%

Shenzhen

$251 22.1% 49.1% $83

Eating Out

Haikou

$100 12.4%

Shenzhen

$100 8.8% 0.4% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Haikou

$65 8.1%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 80.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haikou

$62 7.7%

Shenzhen

$92 8% 47.6% $30

Getting Around

Haikou

$61 7.6%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 54% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Haikou

$55 6.8%

Shenzhen

$64 5.6% 16.7% $9.1

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 $768 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays 139% 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 $29.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $251 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Haikou

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Haikou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,873,358

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haikou and Shenzhen differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($806 vs $1,138 including rent). Haikou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 139% lower in Shenzhen. 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 $768 in Shenzhen. 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 $1,138 in Shenzhen – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haikou runs roughly 139% less than in Shenzhen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Haikou versus $1,138 in Shenzhen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. 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 41% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.