Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Minsk and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $1,020 in Minsk, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Minsk
Learn more

Minsk Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
Learn more

Haikou Living Index

Jump to prices

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

$1,020

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Minsk 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 Minsk and in Haikou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Minsk versus $806 in Haikou.

Minsk $1,020
Haikou $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,662 in Minsk versus $1,152 in Haikou.

Minsk $1,662
Haikou $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,303 in Minsk versus $1,497 in Haikou.

Minsk $2,303
Haikou $1,497

Living in Minsk is roughly 27% more expensive than in Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Minsk 24% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.97 BYN 29.91

$4.40 ¥29.45

126.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.01 BYN 147

$14.72 ¥98.4

232.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 BYN 20.60

$6.02 ¥40.26

14.12%

Cappuccino

$2.31 BYN 6.92

$2.43 ¥16.25

-4.94%

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

$0.92 BYN 2.77

$0.86 ¥5.74

6.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 BYN 1.76

$0.34 ¥2.27

73.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.67 BYN 5.01

$1.51 ¥10.06

10.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 BYN 7.61

$2.72 ¥18.18

-6.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 BYN 2.68

$2.13 ¥14.26

-58.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 BYN 2.02

$1.48 ¥9.90

-54.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 BYN 3.78

$0.66 ¥4.40

90.91%

Eggs

$1.64 BYN 4.91

$1.36 ¥9.07

20.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.90 BYN 23.71

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 BYN 16.00

$3.92 ¥26.23

35.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 BYN 33.50

$15.42 ¥103

-27.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 BYN 4.72

$1.69 ¥11.30

-7.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 BYN 5.25

$0.87 ¥5.80

101.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 BYN 6.43

$1.11 ¥7.40

92.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 BYN 8.11

$0.93 ¥6.24

190.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 BYN 1.92

$0.89 ¥5.95

-28.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 BYN 2.33

$0.73 ¥4.85

6.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 BYN 4.22

$0.47 ¥3.12

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 BYN 2.02

$0.57 ¥3.83

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 BYN 8.07

$3.09 ¥20.68

-12.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.47 BYN 25.42

$8.76 ¥58.6

-3.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 BYN 3.10

$0.57 ¥3.84

80.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BYN 5.94

$1.23 ¥8.23

60.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 BYN 1.02

$0.92 ¥6.17

-63.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.79 BYN 56.4

$53.3 ¥356

-64.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BYN 5.04

$2.19 ¥14.66

-23.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 BYN 1.46

$0.43 ¥2.86

13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 BYN 29.69

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 BYN 2.75

$1.22 ¥8.15

-24.59%

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

$21.6K BYN 64.8K

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

$22.5K BYN 67.5K

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

$61.5 BYN 185

$35.41 ¥237

73.79%

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

$8.64 BYN 25.91

$13.21 ¥88.3

-34.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.57 BYN 40.72

$13.38 ¥89.4

1.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.89 BYN 114

$45.67 ¥305

-17.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.71 BYN 62.1

$6.33 ¥42.35

227.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 BYN 18.28

$4.50 ¥30.10

35.33%

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

$397 BYN 1,190

$862 ¥5,762

-53.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K BYN 73.1K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

24.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 BYN 157

$27.00 ¥181

93.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.67 BYN 134

$34.89 ¥233

28.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 BYN 327

$44.76 ¥299

143.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 BYN 330

$37.57 ¥251

192.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 BYN 1,785

$377 ¥2,523

57.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 BYN 1,131

$294 ¥1,966

28.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 BYN 3,102

$570 ¥3,808

81.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 BYN 2,183

$369 ¥2,469

96.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,554 BYN 7,661

$3,154 ¥21.1K

-19.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,683 BYN 5,048

$2,183 ¥14.6K

-22.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$957 BYN 2,872

$727 ¥4,859

31.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.93

3.85

313.77%

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

Last update for Minsk: October 12, 2026

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Minsk

$377 37%

Haikou

$294 36.5% 22% $83

Groceries & Markets

Minsk

$195 19.1%

Haikou

$169 * 20.9% 13.5% $26

Eating Out

Minsk

$148 14.5%

Haikou

$100 12.4% 32% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Minsk

$142 13.9%

Haikou

$65 8.1% 54.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Minsk

$84 8.2%

Haikou

$62 7.7% 26% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Minsk

$50 4.9%

Haikou

$55 6.8% 9.2% $4.6

Getting Around

Minsk

$24 2.4%

Haikou

$61 7.6% 153% $37

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 $595 in Minsk and $377 in Haikou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Minsk pays 32% 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: $49.00 in Minsk vs $15.00 in Haikou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $169 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇾 Minsk

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

13:43 1:43 PM

5 h ahead of Minsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,992,862 Capital

2,873,358

💱 Currency

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BYN = 0.333 USD

1 BYN = 0.297 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BYN – Belarusian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇾 Belarusian Ruble (Br)

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3 BYN (1 BYN = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 BYN (1 BYN = 0.297 EUR).

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).

USD to BYN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Minsk Haikou 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Minsk
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

Minsk vs Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Minsk and Haikou differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,020 vs $806 including rent). Haikou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Minsk, 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: $595 in Minsk versus $377 in Haikou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,020 per month in Minsk versus $806 in Haikou – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haikou runs roughly 184% less than in Minsk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Haikou versus $1,020 in Minsk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Minsk. 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.

Safety-wise, Minsk and Haikou are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Haikou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Minsk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.