Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhoushan and Nanning

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $620 a month against $730 in Nanning, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
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Zhoushan Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index

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Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$620

/mo nomad

Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zhoushan and in Nanning

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Zhoushan versus $730 in Nanning.

Zhoushan $620
Nanning $730

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,005 in Zhoushan versus $1,171 in Nanning.

Zhoushan $1,005
Nanning $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,390 in Zhoushan versus $1,612 in Nanning.

Zhoushan $1,390
Nanning $1,612

Living in Zhoushan costs roughly 15% less than in Nanning, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhoushan 54% lower, Nanning 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 ¥22.63

$3.05 ¥20.41

11.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.03 ¥127

$20.18 ¥135

-5.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.07 ¥27.24

$5.50 ¥36.78

-26.00%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥19.74

$2.37 ¥15.82

24.47%

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

$0.46 ¥3.10

$0.60 ¥4.00

-23.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.29 ¥1.96

-13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.15

$0.88 ¥5.86

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$2.18 ¥14.56

-15.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 ¥12.26

$2.18 ¥14.55

-16.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥13.87

$2.30 ¥15.39

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$1.13 ¥7.53

-21.24%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.07

$2.00 ¥13.36

-47.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 ¥89.2

$10.34 ¥69.1

29.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 ¥23.45

$3.97 ¥26.51

-11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.96 ¥73.3

$17.63 ¥118

-37.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.26

$1.79 ¥12.00

-14.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.17

$1.27 ¥8.51

-3.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$1.50 ¥10.05

-3.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.68 ¥11.21

-27.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.98 ¥6.55

-40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$1.19 ¥7.94

-31.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$0.57 ¥3.83

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.90

$0.60 ¥4.02

-3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 ¥35.45

$4.09 ¥27.37

29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 ¥78.9

$14.76 ¥98.7

-20.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$0.91 ¥6.11

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.34

$1.56 ¥10.43

37.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.54 ¥3.62

-42.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.13 ¥101

$15.81 ¥106

-4.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.32 ¥8.86

9.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.81

$0.43 ¥2.90

-2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ¥59.6

$7.49 ¥50.1

18.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.32 ¥8.79

-7.58%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$23.0K ¥153.6K

-15.52%

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

$16.4K ¥109.7K

$13.2K ¥88.4K

24.13%

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

$36.17 ¥242

$33.88 ¥227

6.76%

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

$11.52 ¥77.0

$14.13 ¥94.5

-18.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.25 ¥182

$10.83 ¥72.4

151.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.31 ¥169

$73.8 ¥494

-65.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.45 ¥49.79

$7.66 ¥51.2

-2.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.10

$6.77 ¥45.24

-13.59%

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

$440 ¥2,942

$303 ¥2,024

45.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K ¥108.7K

$4,424 ¥29.6K

267.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.64 ¥232

$20.13 ¥135

72.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.10 ¥141

$30.01 ¥201

-29.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥437

$64.0 ¥428

2.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.10 ¥295

$74.4 ¥498

-40.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥2,197

$251 ¥1,681

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 ¥797

$152 ¥1,016

-21.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 ¥4,979

$385 ¥2,572

93.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,827

$298 ¥1,993

-8.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,953 ¥19.7K

$3,545 ¥23.7K

-16.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,009 ¥13.4K

$1,534 ¥10.3K

30.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$589 ¥3,935

$682 ¥4,562

-13.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

3.63

-13.77%

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

Last update for Zhoushan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nanning: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhoushan

$209 33.8%

Nanning

$244 33.4% 16.5% $35

Accommodation & Living

Zhoushan

$119 19.2%

Nanning

$152 20.8% 27.5% $33

Eating Out

Zhoushan

$85 13.7%

Nanning

$82 11.2% 4.1% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhoushan

$75 12.1%

Nanning

$59 8.1% 21.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Zhoushan

$74 12%

Nanning

$85 11.6% 14.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Zhoushan

$37 6%

Nanning

$87 12% 136% $50

Getting Around

Zhoushan

$20 3.2%

Nanning

$21 2.9% 7.7% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $329 in Zhoushan and $251 in Nanning. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanning pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Zhoushan vs $20.00 in Nanning for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $244 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🇨🇳 Nanning

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

Same time as Zhoushan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,157,817

8,741,584

💱 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

Zhoushan Nanning 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhoushan
Nanning

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

Zhoushan vs Nanning: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoushan and Nanning differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($620 vs $730 including rent). Zhoushan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Nanning. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $329 in Zhoushan versus $251 in Nanning. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zhoushan runs roughly 4% less than in Nanning. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $440 in Zhoushan versus $303 in Nanning. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Zhoushan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Nanning. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.