Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Haikou

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $813 a month against $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
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Haikou Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $813 in Haikou.

Shenzhen $1,117
Haikou $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $1,165 in Haikou.

Shenzhen $1,714
Haikou $1,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $1,516 in Haikou.

Shenzhen $2,310
Haikou $1,516

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 37% more expensive than in Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$4.49 ¥29.87

-18.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$14.88 ¥99.0

97.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.16

$5.93 ¥39.45

-10.96%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.50 ¥16.62

34.40%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.84 ¥5.59

-30.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.37 ¥2.44

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$1.52 ¥10.09

-2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$2.77 ¥18.43

-22.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$2.12 ¥14.12

-27.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.41 ¥9.38

15.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$0.69 ¥4.60

65.22%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$1.37 ¥9.12

27.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.97 ¥26.43

-14.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$15.52 ¥103

-7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$1.75 ¥11.64

28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$0.93 ¥6.21

74.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.09 ¥7.27

77.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$0.94 ¥6.24

51.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$0.86 ¥5.73

25.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$0.74 ¥4.90

72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$0.43 ¥2.88

39.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.56 ¥3.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$3.17 ¥21.11

39.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$9.01 ¥60.0

34.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.62 ¥4.14

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$1.17 ¥7.77

56.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$0.86 ¥5.71

-48.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$54.9 ¥365

-67.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$2.29 ¥15.25

-33.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$0.47 ¥3.13

-12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.97

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.27 ¥8.48

3.94%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

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

$64.8 ¥431

$36.44 ¥242

77.74%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$13.45 ¥89.5

-26.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$13.72 ¥91.3

19.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$46.34 ¥308

5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$6.51 ¥43.30

160.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$4.62 ¥30.74

57.58%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$871 ¥5,795

-38.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

23.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$27.29 ¥182

104.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$35.76 ¥238

13.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$44.30 ¥295

64.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$38.38 ¥255

144.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,009

$370 ¥2,463

103.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$294 ¥1,956

60.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$571 ¥3,801

223.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,524

$374 ¥2,489

121.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.7K

$3,265 ¥21.7K

303.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$2,136 ¥14.2K

203.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$715 ¥4,757

146.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.85

-12.99%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Haikou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Haikou

$294 36.2% 37.5% $177

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Haikou

$169 * 20.8% 32% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Haikou

$66 8.1% 44.6% $53

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Haikou

$102 12.5% 0.8% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Haikou

$64 7.8% 30.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Haikou

$56 6.8% 12.5% $7.9

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Haikou

$63 7.8% 170% $40

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 $753 in Shenzhen and $370 in Haikou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $15 in Haikou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $169 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

2,873,358

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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

Shenzhen vs Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,117 in Shenzhen and $813 in Haikou, so Haikou is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Shenzhen 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: $753 in Shenzhen versus $370 in Haikou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,117 per month in Shenzhen versus $813 in Haikou – Haikou is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Shenzhen runs roughly 67% less than in Haikou. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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