Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Sanya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $776 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
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Sanya Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Sanya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $776 in Sanya.

Austin, TX $2,698
Sanya $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,250 in Sanya.

Austin, TX $4,160
Sanya $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,723 in Sanya.

Austin, TX $5,622
Sanya $1,723

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 248% more expensive than in Sanya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Sanya is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$3.33 ¥22.29

519.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.31 ¥149

279.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$6.19 ¥41.37

94.99%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.15 ¥14.37

154.88%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.53 ¥3.56

616.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.43 ¥2.87

474.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.31 ¥8.75

514.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$1.74 ¥11.61

410.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.14 ¥14.33

-48.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.36 ¥9.12

173.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.53 ¥10.22

120.26%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.68 ¥11.21

157.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$23.02 ¥154

-42.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$4.57 ¥30.59

209.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.46 ¥76.6

42.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.27 ¥15.17

100.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.53 ¥10.24

-4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.46 ¥16.44

91.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.99 ¥13.31

108.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.91 ¥6.11

183.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.73 ¥4.87

221.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.55 ¥3.65

221.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.59 ¥3.92

262.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.65 ¥24.42

176.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.67 ¥51.3

98.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.87 ¥5.83

224.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.60 ¥10.69

115.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.31 ¥2.05

396.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$18.12 ¥121

126.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.46 ¥9.76

91.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.35 ¥2.32

357.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$7.51 ¥50.2

357.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.25 ¥8.34

-24.80%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$22.0K ¥147.2K

54.31%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

55.70%

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

$223 $223

$56.0 ¥374

297.59%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$6.60 ¥44.16

792.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$4.41 ¥29.52

1500.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$40.87 ¥273

41.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$14.90 ¥99.6

10.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.25 ¥41.80

128.16%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$403 ¥2,695

274.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

22.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$43.83 ¥293

16.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$33.64 ¥225

31.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$73.6 ¥492

18.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$85.9 ¥574

21.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$298 ¥1,994

550.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$191 ¥1,276

589.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$624 ¥4,173

487.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$381 ¥2,547

573.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,393 ¥22.7K

116.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,946 ¥13.0K

60.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$903 ¥6,038

485.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.36

102.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sanya: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Sanya

$191 24.6% 85.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Sanya

$251 32.3% 38.2% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Sanya

$67 8.6% 81% $285

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Sanya

$85 10.9% 75.8% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Sanya

$107 13.7% 17.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Sanya

$53 6.9% 38.1% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Sanya

$23 2.9% 61.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $298 in Sanya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 485% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Sanya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $251 per month, with Sanya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Sanya

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

18:46 6:46 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,031,396

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Sanya 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Sanya

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

Austin, TX vs Sanya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanya wins on cost – living expenses run 248% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sanya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 485% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $298 in Sanya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $776 in Sanya – a 248% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sanya runs roughly 126% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $776 in Sanya versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sanya but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Sanya 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 Sanya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 248% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.