Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanya and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $761 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
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Sanya Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$761

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanya and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $761 in Sanya versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Sanya $761
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,235 in Sanya versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Sanya $1,235
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,708 in Sanya versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Sanya $1,708
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Sanya costs roughly 73% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sanya is 44% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.31 ¥22.14

$17.43 A$25.08

-81.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.23 ¥149

$84.6 A$122

-73.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 ¥42.68

$12.46 A$17.92

-48.80%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ¥14.54

$4.11 A$5.91

-46.96%

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

$0.50 ¥3.36

$3.06 A$4.40

-83.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.52 A$3.62

-82.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$9.80 A$14.10

-86.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.31

$8.57 A$12.33

-80.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ¥14.12

$1.48 A$2.14

42.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$2.94 A$4.23

-54.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.66 A$3.82

-39.47%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.18

$5.54 A$7.97

-69.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.71 ¥152

$10.51 A$15.13

116.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ¥30.66

$9.65 A$13.89

-52.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.9

$15.22 A$21.91

-25.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$3.99 A$5.75

-40.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$3.02 A$4.34

-48.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 ¥16.77

$3.10 A$4.46

-19.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ¥13.34

$4.82 A$6.93

-58.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$3.03 A$4.36

-68.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.80

$2.44 A$3.52

-70.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$2.46 A$3.54

-77.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.63 A$2.34

-64.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.34

$44.07 A$63.4

-91.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$12.70 A$18.28

-39.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$5.54 A$7.97

-83.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.28

$5.23 A$7.52

-70.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$3.74 A$5.38

-92.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.99 ¥120

$138 A$198

-86.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$4.51 A$6.50

-67.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.33

$1.36 A$1.96

-74.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 ¥51.8

$30.45 A$43.81

-74.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.47 A$2.12

-11.56%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-39.59%

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

$17.3K ¥115.5K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-34.76%

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

$57.4 ¥384

$234 A$336

-75.45%

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

$6.54 ¥43.72

$27.93 A$40.19

-76.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.45 ¥29.73

$55.7 A$80.2

-92.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 ¥277

$49.40 A$71.1

-16.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.72 ¥98.4

$21.48 A$30.91

-31.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 ¥41.89

$15.09 A$21.72

-58.45%

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

$413 ¥2,764

$2,371 A$3,412

-82.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-41.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.75 ¥286

$80.0 A$115

-46.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.93 ¥220

$50.7 A$73.0

-35.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ¥507

$121 A$174

-37.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 ¥485

$130 A$188

-44.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥2,034

$1,759 A$2,531

-82.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,203

$1,390 A$2,000

-87.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 ¥4,220

$3,494 A$5,027

-81.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ¥2,524

$2,493 A$3,588

-84.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,448 ¥23.1K

$6,926 A$9,967

-50.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$6,445 A$9,274

-70.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 ¥5,992

$4,383 A$6,307

-79.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.9

-43.05%

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

Last update for Sanya: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanya

$250 32.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 53.3% $134

Accommodation & Living

Sanya

$180 23.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 673% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Sanya

$101 13.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 70.4% $71

Eating Out

Sanya

$85 11.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 268% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanya

$68 9%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 364% $249

Sport & Entertainment

Sanya

$54 7.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 47.6% $26

Getting Around

Sanya

$22 2.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 633% $141

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Sanya and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 389% 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: $22.00 in Sanya vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $384 per month, with Sanya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Sanya

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

13:59 1:59 PM

3 h ahead of Sanya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,031,396

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Sanya Melbourne 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanya
Melbourne

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

Sanya vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanya and Melbourne differ by about 271% in total monthly costs ($761 vs $2,821 including rent). Sanya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 389% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $304 in Sanya versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $413 in Sanya versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $761 in Sanya versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sanya but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. 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.

Safety-wise, Sanya and Melbourne 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 Sanya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 271% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.