Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $817 a month against $997 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$997

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Haikou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $997 in Hangzhou versus $817 in Haikou.

Hangzhou $997
Haikou $817

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,539 in Hangzhou versus $1,192 in Haikou.

Hangzhou $1,539
Haikou $1,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,080 in Hangzhou versus $1,567 in Haikou.

Hangzhou $2,080
Haikou $1,567

Living in Hangzhou is roughly 22% more expensive than in Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hangzhou 26% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 ¥25.37

$4.56 ¥30.34

-16.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.68 ¥171

$26.04 ¥173

-1.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 ¥30.34

$6.14 ¥40.92

-25.73%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ¥22.25

$2.41 ¥16.02

38.59%

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

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.82 ¥5.43

-25.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.21

$0.32 ¥2.12

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.07 ¥7.14

28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ¥15.73

$1.84 ¥12.23

28.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.41

$2.17 ¥14.45

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.30

$1.49 ¥9.93

4.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.67

$0.70 ¥4.64

64.29%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥14.24

$1.31 ¥8.74

63.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.27 ¥128

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 ¥25.80

$4.01 ¥26.72

-3.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 ¥67.2

$16.05 ¥107

-37.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 ¥16.61

$1.68 ¥11.18

48.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$0.87 ¥5.80

63.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.70

$1.15 ¥7.68

26.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$0.93 ¥6.19

65.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$0.87 ¥5.80

9.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.23

$0.78 ¥5.17

20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.32

$0.44 ¥2.92

47.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.57 ¥3.77

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ¥27.41

$3.12 ¥20.77

32.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 ¥89.0

$9.14 ¥60.9

46.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.44

$0.58 ¥3.86

41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.13

$1.17 ¥7.79

42.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.93 ¥6.19

-53.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.94 ¥120

$53.3 ¥355

-66.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$2.22 ¥14.81

-14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.46

$0.43 ¥2.85

-13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.97 ¥46.42

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.24 ¥8.29

5.65%

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

$19.9K ¥132.5K

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

$18.6K ¥123.8K

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

$47.60 ¥317

$36.42 ¥243

30.70%

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

$8.93 ¥59.5

$13.68 ¥91.1

-34.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 ¥98.2

$13.33 ¥88.8

10.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥350

$46.30 ¥308

13.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.53 ¥130

$7.34 ¥48.91

166.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ¥51.5

$4.57 ¥30.45

69.15%

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

$586 ¥3,900

$318 ¥2,116

84.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K ¥277.4K

$8,895 ¥59.2K

368.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 ¥392

$27.28 ¥182

115.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.92 ¥286

$35.17 ¥234

22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 ¥571

$45.94 ¥306

86.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ¥739

$38.77 ¥258

186.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 ¥3,750

$377 ¥2,509

49.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,418

$301 ¥2,005

20.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥7,470

$573 ¥3,814

95.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ¥4,166

$371 ¥2,473

68.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,523 ¥50.1K

$3,186 ¥21.2K

136.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,879 ¥25.8K

$2,078 ¥13.8K

86.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,485 ¥9,891

$597 ¥3,975

148.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.85

-9.09%

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

Last update for Hangzhou: November 3, 2026

Last update for Haikou: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$363 36.4%

Haikou

$301 36.9% 17.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$237 23.8%

Haikou

$172 * 21.1% 27.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$134 13.5%

Haikou

$66 8.1% 50.7% $68

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$100 10%

Haikou

$97 11.9% 2.3% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$71 7.2%

Haikou

$63 7.8% 11% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$68 6.8%

Haikou

$55 6.8% 18.5% $13

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$23 2.4%

Haikou

$61 7.5% 162% $38

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 $563 in Hangzhou and $377 in Haikou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hangzhou pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Hangzhou vs $26 in Haikou. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $172, with Haikou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

2,873,358

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Hangzhou
Haikou

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

Hangzhou vs Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $997 in Hangzhou and $817 in Haikou, so Haikou is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Hangzhou is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $563 in Hangzhou versus $377 in Haikou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $586 in Hangzhou versus $318 in Haikou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Hangzhou runs roughly 66% 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.

For families, Haikou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hangzhou, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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.