Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanya and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $761 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
Learn more

Sanya Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$761

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanya and in Nosara

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 Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $761 per month in Sanya vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Sanya $761
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,235 per month in Sanya vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Sanya $1,235
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,708 per month in Sanya vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Sanya $1,708
Nosara $3,818

Sanya is about 59% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sanya sits 44% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.31 ¥22.14

$12.35 ₡5,539

-73.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.23 ¥149

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-63.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 ¥42.68

$7.52 ₡3,373

-15.16%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ¥14.54

$4.41 ₡1,978

-50.57%

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

$0.50 ¥3.36

$1.74 ₡780

-71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.31 ₡587

-67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$3.28 ₡1,471

-59.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.31

$4.47 ₡2,004

-62.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ¥14.12

$1.56 ₡701

35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$3.02 ₡1,355

-55.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.86%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.18

$3.57 ₡1,603

-53.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.71 ¥152

$7.43 ₡3,333

205.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ¥30.66

$10.52 ₡4,717

-56.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.9

$13.97 ₡6,265

-18.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$2.35 ₡1,052

0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.61 ₡720

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 ¥16.77

$4.80 ₡2,152

-47.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ¥13.34

$1.61 ₡724

24.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$3.80 ₡1,703

-75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.80

$3.69 ₡1,657

-80.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$1.13 ₡507

-51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.34

$5.18 ₡2,321

-29.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$2.90 ₡1,300

-68.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.28

$3.63 ₡1,626

-57.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$1.12 ₡504

-74.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.99 ¥120

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-75.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$2.14 ₡958

-31.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.33

$1.57 ₡703

-77.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 ¥51.8

$8.52 ₡3,823

-9.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.52 ₡682

-14.47%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-18.92%

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

$17.3K ¥115.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-49.96%

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

$57.4 ¥384

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-40.42%

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

$6.54 ¥43.72

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-81.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.45 ¥29.73

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-91.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 ¥277

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.72 ¥98.4

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-57.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 ¥41.89

$7.89 ₡3,539

-20.53%

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

$413 ¥2,764

$494 ₡221.6K

-16.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

48.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.75 ¥286

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-20.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.93 ¥220

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-40.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ¥507

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-2.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 ¥485

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-8.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥2,034

$788 ₡353.4K

-61.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,203

$794 ₡356.2K

-77.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 ¥4,220

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-83.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ¥2,524

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-73.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,448 ¥23.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-50.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

56.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 ¥5,992

$864 ₡387.3K

3.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

8.62

-61.02%

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

Last update for Sanya: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanya

$250 32.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 40.6% $102

Accommodation & Living

Sanya

$180 23.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 342% $614

Clothing & Footwear

Sanya

$101 13.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.1% $19

Eating Out

Sanya

$85 11.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 148% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanya

$68 9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 172% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Sanya

$54 7.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 62% $33

Getting Around

Sanya

$22 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 290% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $304 in Sanya versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Sanya, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Sanya versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $352 – making Sanya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Sanya

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

02:30 2:30 AM

14 h behind Sanya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,031,396

4,912

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sanya Nosara 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanya
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $761 in Sanya, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,142 per month in Sanya and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 304% less in Sanya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $413 per month in Sanya and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanya, where all-in costs run around $761, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Sanya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $761 in Sanya to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sanya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.