Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Sanya

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.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
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Sanya Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Sanya

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

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

Shenzhen $1,131
Sanya $776

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

Shenzhen $1,741
Sanya $1,250

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

Shenzhen $2,352
Sanya $1,723

Shenzhen costs about 46% more than Sanya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$3.33 ¥22.29

12.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$22.31 ¥149

34.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$6.19 ¥41.37

-13.41%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.15 ¥14.37

57.67%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.53 ¥3.56

3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.43 ¥2.87

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.31 ¥8.75

12.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$1.74 ¥11.61

24.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$2.14 ¥14.33

-25.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$1.36 ¥9.12

19.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$1.53 ¥10.22

-25.49%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.68 ¥11.21

5.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$23.02 ¥154

-7.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$4.57 ¥30.59

-24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$11.46 ¥76.6

28.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.27 ¥15.17

-1.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.53 ¥10.24

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$2.46 ¥16.44

-23.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.99 ¥13.31

-29.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$0.91 ¥6.11

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$0.73 ¥4.87

71.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.55 ¥3.65

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.59 ¥3.92

3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.65 ¥24.42

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$7.67 ¥51.3

52.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.87 ¥5.83

12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.60 ¥10.69

14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.31 ¥2.05

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$18.12 ¥121

24.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.46 ¥9.76

4.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.35 ¥2.32

8.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$7.51 ¥50.2

-6.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.25 ¥8.34

8.00%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$22.0K ¥147.2K

-10.09%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

4.21%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$56.0 ¥374

12.07%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$6.60 ¥44.16

55.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$4.41 ¥29.52

270.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

$40.87 ¥273

21.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

$14.90 ¥99.6

16.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$6.25 ¥41.80

22.24%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$403 ¥2,695

30.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

44.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$43.83 ¥293

25.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$33.64 ¥225

18.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$73.6 ¥492

-1.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$85.9 ¥574

7.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

$298 ¥1,994

158.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

$191 ¥1,276

150.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

$624 ¥4,173

217.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

$381 ¥2,547

123.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$3,393 ¥22.7K

302.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,946 ¥13.0K

208.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$903 ¥6,038

93.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.36

-0.30%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sanya: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Sanya

$191 24.6% 60.1% $287

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Sanya

$251 32.3% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Sanya

$107 13.7% 8.9% $10

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Sanya

$85 10.9% 16.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Sanya

$67 8.6% 25% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Sanya

$53 6.9% 17.6% $11

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Sanya

$23 2.9% 20.3% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Shenzhen versus $298 in Sanya. 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 $30.00 in Shenzhen versus $22.00 in Sanya. Groceries tell a different story – $251 in Shenzhen vs $251 in Sanya – so Shenzhen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Sanya

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,031,396

💱 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

Shenzhen Sanya 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Sanya

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

Shenzhen vs Sanya: 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 $1,696 per month in Shenzhen and $1,164 in Sanya. 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 $1,131 in Shenzhen and $776 in Sanya. 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.