Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sanya Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sanya

😐 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 17% more expensive than Sanya without rent, and 58.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Shanghai is 32.3% more expensive than Sanya without rent, and 73.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.80 ¥33.14
$2.47 ¥17.07
94.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.90 ¥248
$20.76 ¥143
72.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.40 ¥37.34
$5.50 ¥37.98
-1.82%
Cappuccino
$3.58 ¥24.72
$2.59 ¥17.92
38.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ¥4.04
$0.44 ¥3.02
34.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ¥2.32
$0.29 ¥2.01
17.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.38 ¥9.53
$1.95 ¥13.51
-29.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ¥19.19
$1.93 ¥13.33
44.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 ¥14.70
$1.77 ¥12.21
20.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 ¥12.38
$1.33 ¥9.16
34.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.06 ¥7.30
$1.43 ¥9.88
-25.87%
Eggs
$1.63 ¥11.30
$1.67 ¥11.57
-2.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.57 ¥108
$16.87 ¥117
-7.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ¥21.40
$3.79 ¥26.16
-18.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.99 ¥76.0
$10.16 ¥70.2
8.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 ¥15.61
$2.20 ¥15.18
2.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 ¥11.97
$1.43 ¥9.89
20.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 ¥12.48
$1.91 ¥13.17
-5.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.45 ¥10.04
$1.60 ¥11.09
-9.38%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 ¥5.43
$0.75 ¥5.15
5.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 ¥7.80
$0.76 ¥5.22
48.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ¥4.70
$0.45 ¥3.08
51.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ¥3.89
$0.63 ¥4.33
-11.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.72 ¥18.77
$3.07 ¥21.19
-11.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.92 ¥75.4
$7.46 ¥51.6
46.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ¥5.75
$1.11 ¥7.68
-25.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ¥11.13
$0.92 ¥6.38
75.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ¥2.98
$0.29 ¥2.02
48.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.22 ¥236
$16.13 ¥111
112.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.17 ¥14.99
$1.49 ¥10.29
45.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ¥2.60
$0.57 ¥3.92
-33.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.27 ¥57.1
$6.76 ¥46.69
22.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥7.63
$1.21 ¥8.39
-9.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥135.0K
$19.2K ¥132.6K
1.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.9K ¥123.7K
$16.5K ¥114.1K
8.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.1 ¥367
$83.7 ¥578
-36.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.64 ¥59.7
$9.67 ¥66.9
-10.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.54 ¥93.6
$11.68 ¥80.7
15.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.44 ¥321
$41.48 ¥287
11.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.76 ¥137
$13.77 ¥95.2
43.50%
Cinema Ticket
$8.42 ¥58.2
$6.31 ¥43.58
33.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,265 ¥8,744
$341 ¥2,356
271.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.2K ¥215.3K
$17.0K ¥117.7K
82.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.3 ¥403
$43.55 ¥301
33.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.31 ¥258
$30.36 ¥210
22.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 ¥537
$49.02 ¥339
58.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 ¥664
$74.6 ¥515
28.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$950 ¥6,563
$284 ¥1,960
234.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$569 ¥3,933
$188 ¥1,298
202.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,528 ¥17.5K
$593 ¥4,100
326.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,207 ¥8,340
$355 ¥2,453
239.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.9K ¥96.1K
$3,162 ¥21.8K
339.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,247 ¥50.1K
$1,998 ¥13.8K
262.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Sanya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,687 ¥11.7K
$686 ¥4,739
146.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
5.05
-29.11%

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

Last update for Shanghai: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sanya: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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