Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanya and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $776 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanya and in Shenzhen

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

A single person spends $776 per month in Sanya vs $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Sanya $776
Shenzhen $1,131

A couple spends around $1,250 per month in Sanya vs $1,741 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Sanya $1,250
Shenzhen $1,741

A family of three spends $1,723 per month in Sanya vs $2,352 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Sanya $1,723
Shenzhen $2,352

Sanya is about 31% cheaper than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sanya and Shenzhen are more affordable than the global median – Sanya 43% lower, Shenzhen 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 ¥22.29

$3.73 ¥24.93

-10.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.31 ¥149

$29.92 ¥200

-25.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.19 ¥41.37

$5.36 ¥35.83

15.49%

Cappuccino

$2.15 ¥14.37

$3.39 ¥22.66

-36.58%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$0.55 ¥3.67

-3.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.35 ¥2.36

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.75

$1.47 ¥9.84

-10.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.61

$2.17 ¥14.50

-19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ¥14.33

$1.59 ¥10.64

34.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ¥9.12

$1.63 ¥10.88

-16.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$1.14 ¥7.59

34.21%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.78 ¥11.89

-5.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.02 ¥154

$21.25 ¥142

8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 ¥30.59

$3.45 ¥23.10

32.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 ¥76.6

$14.69 ¥98.2

-21.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$2.23 ¥14.94

1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$1.61 ¥10.73

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 ¥16.44

$1.89 ¥12.67

30.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.31

$1.41 ¥9.41

41.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$1.04 ¥6.95

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.25 ¥8.36

-41.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.56 ¥3.76

-1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.61 ¥4.05

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.42

$4.38 ¥29.30

-16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

$11.72 ¥78.4

-34.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.83

$0.98 ¥6.53

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$1.83 ¥12.21

-12.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.57 ¥3.82

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.12 ¥121

$22.57 ¥151

-19.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.76

$1.52 ¥10.15

-3.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.32

$0.38 ¥2.55

-7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 ¥50.2

$6.99 ¥46.71

7.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.35 ¥9.02

-7.41%

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

$22.0K ¥147.2K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

11.22%

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

$17.2K ¥114.9K

$17.9K ¥119.8K

-4.04%

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

$56.0 ¥374

$62.8 ¥420

-10.77%

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

$6.60 ¥44.16

$10.25 ¥68.5

-35.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.41 ¥29.52

$16.36 ¥109

-73.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.87 ¥273

$49.52 ¥331

-17.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 ¥99.6

$17.32 ¥116

-13.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.25 ¥41.80

$7.64 ¥51.1

-18.19%

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

$403 ¥2,695

$526 ¥3,519

-23.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ¥113.9K

$24.5K ¥164.1K

-30.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.83 ¥293

$55.1 ¥369

-20.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.64 ¥225

$39.99 ¥267

-15.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥492

$72.3 ¥484

1.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 ¥574

$92.7 ¥620

-7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,994

$771 ¥5,158

-61.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,276

$478 ¥3,195

-60.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,173

$1,984 ¥13.3K

-68.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 ¥2,547

$852 ¥5,696

-55.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 ¥22.7K

$13.6K ¥91.2K

-75.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 ¥13.0K

$6,013 ¥40.2K

-67.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$903 ¥6,038

$1,751 ¥11.7K

-48.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.35

0.30%

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

Last update for Sanya: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanya

$251 32.3%

Shenzhen

$251 22.2% 0.3% $0.7

Accommodation & Living

Sanya

$191 24.6%

Shenzhen

$478 42.3% 151% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Sanya

$107 13.7%

Shenzhen

$117 10.4% 9.8% $10

Eating Out

Sanya

$85 10.9%

Shenzhen

$102 9% 20% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanya

$67 8.6%

Shenzhen

$89 7.9% 33.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sanya

$53 6.9%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 21.4% $11

Getting Around

Sanya

$23 2.9%

Shenzhen

$28 2.5% 25.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Sanya versus $771 in Shenzhen. 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 94% higher in Shenzhen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Sanya versus $30.00 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $251 – making Sanya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Sanya

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

Same time as Sanya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,031,396

12,528,300

💱 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

Sanya Shenzhen 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sanya
Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen costs about 46% more than Sanya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,164 per month in Sanya and $1,696 in Shenzhen. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $776 in Sanya and $1,131 in Shenzhen. That's a gap of about 46%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Sanya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanya, where all-in costs run around $776, than in Shenzhen at $1,131. In Sanya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sanya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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