Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhenjiang and Guanacaste

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhenjiang: $700 a month against $1,534 in Guanacaste, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhenjiang
Learn more

Zhenjiang Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
Learn more

Guanacaste Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhenjiang

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,534

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zhenjiang and in Guanacaste

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

A single person spends $700 per month in Zhenjiang vs $1,534 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Zhenjiang $700
Guanacaste $1,534

A couple spends around $1,193 per month in Zhenjiang vs $2,421 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Zhenjiang $1,193
Guanacaste $2,421

A family of three spends $1,685 per month in Zhenjiang vs $3,307 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Zhenjiang $1,685
Guanacaste $3,307

Zhenjiang is about 54% cheaper than Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zhenjiang sits 49% below the global median, while Guanacaste is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.15

$10.77 ₡4,860

-71.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.49 ¥203

$47.69 ₡21.5K

-36.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ¥30.08

$11.68 ₡5,270

-61.39%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ¥17.80

$4.44 ₡2,003

-39.86%

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

$0.61 ¥4.08

$2.70 ₡1,220

-77.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$1.93 ₡871

-81.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$3.10 ₡1,398

-61.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.28

$4.47 ₡2,019

-48.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.00

$2.04 ₡921

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$3.19 ₡1,439

-52.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.75

$2.42 ₡1,091

-64.46%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.52

$3.59 ₡1,618

-51.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.12 ¥94.2

$5.63 ₡2,542

150.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.24

$4.30 ₡1,942

-29.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ¥88.1

$11.09 ₡5,005

19.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.30

$2.68 ₡1,210

-30.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.51

$1.57 ₡708

10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.76

$4.40 ₡1,988

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.73

$1.53 ₡689

15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$3.86 ₡1,744

-78.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.18

$2.25 ₡1,017

-58.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.90 ₡406

-47.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$3.07 ₡1,385

-81.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥24.87

$4.34 ₡1,958

-14.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 ¥71.3

$20.25 ₡9,140

-47.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.83

$2.80 ₡1,261

-68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.66 ₡1,202

-39.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ¥0.99

$1.29 ₡584

-88.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.58 ¥50.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$2.50 ₡1,128

-38.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$1.57 ₡706

-70.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 ¥30.48

$8.85 ₡3,996

-48.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.51

$1.57 ₡709

-18.47%

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

$18.3K ¥121.9K

$33.7K ₡15.2M

-45.75%

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

$17.7K ¥117.8K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-57.17%

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

$59.0 ¥393

$93.5 ₡42.2K

-36.97%

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

$7.98 ¥53.2

$36.18 ₡16.3K

-77.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.56 ¥50.4

$32.69 ₡14.7K

-76.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.12 ¥301

$66.5 ₡30.0K

-32.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.55 ¥204

Cinema Ticket

$8.88 ¥59.2

$7.85 ₡3,542

13.12%

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

$451 ¥3,006

$968 ₡436.8K

-53.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K ¥184.1K

$17.5K ₡7.9M

58.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.47 ¥303

$66.5 ₡30.0K

-31.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 ¥196

$44.53 ₡20.1K

-33.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 ¥446

$86.6 ₡39.1K

-22.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.7 ¥551

$78.2 ₡35.3K

5.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,489

$795 ₡358.9K

-71.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 ¥982

$620 ₡279.6K

-76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 ¥3,517

$1,899 ₡856.7K

-72.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,467

$1,279 ₡577.2K

-71.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,994 ¥13.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$902 ¥6,014

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$955 ¥6,363

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 Zhenjiang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guanacaste: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhenjiang

$218 31.2%

Guanacaste

$312 20.4% 43% $94

Accommodation & Living

Zhenjiang

$147 21%

Guanacaste

$620 40.4% 321% $472

Clothing & Footwear

Zhenjiang

$101 14.4%

Guanacaste

$124 8.1% 22.8% $23

Eating Out

Zhenjiang

$84 12%

Guanacaste

$217 14.2% 158% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhenjiang

$74 10.6%

Guanacaste

$162 10.6% 118% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Zhenjiang

$63 9%

Guanacaste

$82 5.4% 30.7% $19

Getting Around

Zhenjiang

$12 1.7%

Guanacaste

$16 * 1% 28.8% $3.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Zhenjiang versus $795 in Guanacaste. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Zhenjiang versus $48 in Guanacaste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $312 – making Zhenjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhenjiang

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

09:47 9:47 AM

14 h behind Zhenjiang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,210,418

1,823

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zhenjiang Guanacaste 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhenjiang
Guanacaste

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

Zhenjiang vs Guanacaste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guanacaste is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,051 per month in Zhenjiang and $2,301 in Guanacaste. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhenjiang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $795 in Guanacaste.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $700 in Zhenjiang and $1,534 in Guanacaste. That’s a gap of about 119%.

Kindergarten costs $451 per month in Zhenjiang and $968 in Guanacaste. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zhenjiang, where all-in costs run around $700, than in Guanacaste at $1,534. In Zhenjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guanacaste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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