Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $806 in Haikou.

Shanghai $1,244
Haikou $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,152 in Haikou.

Shanghai $1,999
Haikou $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,497 in Haikou.

Shanghai $2,755
Haikou $1,497

Living in Shanghai is roughly 54% more expensive than in Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$4.40 ¥29.45

3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$14.72 ¥98.4

105.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$6.02 ¥40.26

-12.79%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.43 ¥16.25

34.98%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.86 ¥5.74

-33.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.34 ¥2.27

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.51 ¥10.06

-18.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.72 ¥18.18

-16.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.13 ¥14.26

-13.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.48 ¥9.90

32.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.66 ¥4.40

56.06%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.36 ¥9.07

22.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.92 ¥26.23

-18.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$15.42 ¥103

-16.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$1.69 ¥11.30

32.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$0.87 ¥5.80

90.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.11 ¥7.40

81.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$0.93 ¥6.24

78.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.89 ¥5.95

-13.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.73 ¥4.85

27.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.47 ¥3.12

34.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.57 ¥3.83

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.09 ¥20.68

22.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$8.76 ¥58.6

24.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.57 ¥3.84

43.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.23 ¥8.23

30.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.92 ¥6.17

-33.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$53.3 ¥356

-44.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$2.19 ¥14.66

-3.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.43 ¥2.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.22 ¥8.15

9.02%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

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

$57.8 ¥387

$35.41 ¥237

63.26%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$13.21 ¥88.3

-38.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$13.38 ¥89.4

-21.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$45.67 ¥305

43.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$6.33 ¥42.35

181.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$4.50 ¥30.10

98.89%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$862 ¥5,762

64.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

42.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$27.00 ¥181

99.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$34.89 ¥233

6.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$44.76 ¥299

65.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$37.57 ¥251

181.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$377 ¥2,523

179.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$294 ¥1,966

98.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$570 ¥3,808

336.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$369 ¥2,469

233.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,154 ¥21.1K

341.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$2,183 ¥14.6K

186.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$727 ¥4,859

135.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.85

-12.73%

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

Last update for Shanghai: 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

Shanghai

$585 47%

Haikou

$294 36.5% 49.7% $291

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Haikou

$169 * 20.9% 28.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Haikou

$65 8.1% 46.8% $57

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Haikou

$100 12.4% 5.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Haikou

$55 6.8% 34.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Haikou

$62 7.7% 18.8% $14

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Haikou

$61 7.6% 69.8% $25

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 $1,055 in Shanghai and $377 in Haikou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 135% 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: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $15.00 in Haikou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $169 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

2,873,358

💱 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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Shanghai Haikou 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Shanghai vs Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Haikou differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $806 including rent). Haikou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 135% higher in Shanghai, 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $377 in Haikou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $806 in Haikou – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haikou runs roughly 81% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Haikou versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. 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 54% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.