NavoyNostos

Sanya vs Xiamen

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Sanya edges it, 57 to 56, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Sanya is stronger on air quality; Xiamen on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.0 of 57 points (scores 36/100)Safety: 8.4 of 57 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.0 of 57 points (scores 81/100)Internet: 6.3 of 57 points (scores 57/100)Visa ease: 1.7 of 57 points (scores 15/100)Getting there & around: 6.1 of 57 points (scores 55/100)Climate: 5.6 of 57 points (scores 50/100)Air quality: 9.5 of 57 points (scores 86/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 57 points (scores 55/100)57
Sanya
out of 100

China's tropical beach resort at the southern tip of Hainan

Full Sanya profile →Where to stay in Sanya →
Cost of living: 4.0 of 56 points (scores 36/100)Safety: 8.4 of 56 points (scores 76/100)Healthcare: 9.0 of 56 points (scores 81/100)Internet: 5.4 of 56 points (scores 49/100)Visa ease: 1.7 of 56 points (scores 15/100)Getting there & around: 7.8 of 56 points (scores 71/100)Climate: 5.6 of 56 points (scores 50/100)Air quality: 7.7 of 56 points (scores 69/100)Quality of life: 6.1 of 56 points (scores 55/100)56
Xiamen
out of 100

China's cleanest coastal city, with Gulangyu island

Full Xiamen profile →Where to stay in Xiamen →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricSanyaXiamen
Cost of living3636
Safety7676
Healthcare8181
Internet57 ✓49
Visa ease1515
Getting there & around5571 ✓
Climate5050
Air quality86 ✓69
Quality of life5555

Cost

MetricSanyaXiamen
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,850$1,850
Central one-bedroom rentno datano data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricSanyaXiamen
Homicides per 100k0.50.5
Political stability (0–100)6666
UHC service coverage (0–100)8585
Life expectancy77.6 yrs77.6 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricSanyaXiamen
Download17 Mbps ✓10.8 Mbps
Upload12.3 Mbps ✓9.2 Mbps

Visa

MetricSanyaXiamen
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passportvisa requiredvisa required
Entry, EU passport30 days30 days
Entry, UK passportvisa requiredvisa required

Getting there and around

MetricSanyaXiamen
Non-stop airport destinations95 ✓60
Walkability (1–5, editorial)24 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)24 ✓

Climate and air

MetricSanyaXiamen
Comfortable months per year66
Annual mean PM2.511.4 µg/m³ ✓18.8 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Sanya or Xiamen?
Xiamen is cheaper: about $1,850 per month versus $1,850 for one person.
Is Sanya or Xiamen safer?
Sanya scores higher on safety (76 vs 76), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Sanya or Xiamen?
Sanya: a measured median of 17 Mbps versus 10.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Official entry rules that changed after the Passport Index snapshot; OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.