Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanning and Zhoushan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $620 a month against $730 in Nanning, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
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Zhoushan Living Index

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Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$730

/mo nomad

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nanning and in Zhoushan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $730 in Nanning versus $620 in Zhoushan.

Nanning $730
Zhoushan $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,171 in Nanning versus $1,005 in Zhoushan.

Nanning $1,171
Zhoushan $1,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,612 in Nanning versus $1,390 in Zhoushan.

Nanning $1,612
Zhoushan $1,390

Living in Nanning is roughly 18% more expensive than in Zhoushan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanning 46% lower, Zhoushan 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ¥20.41

$3.39 ¥22.63

-10.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.18 ¥135

$19.03 ¥127

6.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 ¥36.78

$4.07 ¥27.24

35.14%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥15.82

$2.95 ¥19.74

-19.66%

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

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.46 ¥3.10

30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.25 ¥1.66

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.86

$0.77 ¥5.15

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$1.84 ¥12.32

18.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ¥14.55

$1.83 ¥12.26

19.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 ¥15.39

$2.07 ¥13.87

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.53

$0.89 ¥5.95

26.97%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥13.36

$1.06 ¥7.07

88.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.34 ¥69.1

$13.35 ¥89.2

-22.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 ¥26.51

$3.51 ¥23.45

13.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 ¥118

$10.96 ¥73.3

60.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥12.00

$1.53 ¥10.26

16.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.22 ¥8.17

4.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$1.45 ¥9.72

3.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.22 ¥8.13

37.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$0.58 ¥3.88

68.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$0.81 ¥5.42

46.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.63 ¥4.23

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.02

$0.58 ¥3.90

3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 ¥27.37

$5.30 ¥35.45

-22.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$11.80 ¥78.9

25.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$0.88 ¥5.89

3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$2.14 ¥14.34

-27.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.31 ¥2.10

74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.81 ¥106

$15.13 ¥101

4.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 ¥8.86

$1.45 ¥9.71

-8.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.42 ¥2.81

2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 ¥50.1

$8.91 ¥59.6

-15.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.22 ¥8.13

8.20%

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

$23.0K ¥153.6K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

18.37%

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

$13.2K ¥88.4K

$16.4K ¥109.7K

-19.44%

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

$33.88 ¥227

$36.17 ¥242

-6.33%

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

$14.13 ¥94.5

$11.52 ¥77.0

22.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.83 ¥72.4

$27.25 ¥182

-60.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ¥494

$25.31 ¥169

191.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.66 ¥51.2

$7.45 ¥49.79

2.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 ¥45.24

$5.85 ¥39.10

15.73%

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

$303 ¥2,024

$440 ¥2,942

-31.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,424 ¥29.6K

$16.3K ¥108.7K

-72.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.13 ¥135

$34.64 ¥232

-41.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.01 ¥201

$21.10 ¥141

42.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 ¥428

$65.4 ¥437

-2.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ¥498

$44.10 ¥295

68.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,681

$329 ¥2,197

-23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 ¥1,016

$119 ¥797

27.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 ¥2,572

$745 ¥4,979

-48.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,993

$273 ¥1,827

9.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,545 ¥23.7K

$2,953 ¥19.7K

20.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 ¥10.3K

$2,009 ¥13.4K

-23.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$682 ¥4,562

$589 ¥3,935

15.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.63

3.13

15.97%

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

Last update for Nanning: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhoushan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanning

$244 33.4%

Zhoushan

$209 33.8% 14.2% $35

Accommodation & Living

Nanning

$152 20.8%

Zhoushan

$119 19.2% 21.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nanning

$87 12%

Zhoushan

$37 6% 57.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Nanning

$85 11.6%

Zhoushan

$74 12% 12.4% $11

Eating Out

Nanning

$82 11.2%

Zhoushan

$85 13.7% 4.3% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanning

$59 8.1%

Zhoushan

$75 12.1% 27.4% $16

Getting Around

Nanning

$21 2.9%

Zhoushan

$20 3.2% 7.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Nanning and $329 in Zhoushan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanning pays 16% 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: $20.00 in Nanning vs $19.00 in Zhoushan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $209 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanning

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

Same time as Nanning

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,741,584

1,157,817

💱 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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Between locations

Nanning Zhoushan 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanning
Zhoushan

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

Nanning vs Zhoushan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanning and Zhoushan differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($730 vs $620 including rent). Zhoushan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Nanning, 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: $251 in Nanning versus $329 in Zhoushan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhoushan runs roughly 4% less than in Nanning. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $303 in Nanning versus $440 in Zhoushan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Zhoushan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Nanning. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.