Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $912 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Changchun and in Sydney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $912 in Changchun versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Changchun $912
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,335 in Changchun versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Changchun $1,335
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,757 in Changchun versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Changchun $1,757
Sydney $6,268

Living in Changchun costs roughly 71% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Changchun is 32% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ¥19.69

$17.57 A$25.39

-83.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$91.5 A$132

-75.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.66

$11.96 A$17.28

-56.61%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ¥16.64

$4.07 A$5.88

-38.82%

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

$0.48 ¥3.20

$2.85 A$4.12

-83.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$2.25 A$3.25

-87.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$7.60 A$10.99

-84.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$7.43 A$10.73

-75.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.69

$1.66 A$2.39

14.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$2.78 A$4.02

-56.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$2.42 A$3.50

-40.08%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥12.31

$5.64 A$8.15

-67.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.91 ¥233

$11.71 A$16.92

198.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 ¥39.30

$9.66 A$13.95

-39.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 ¥70.5

$16.75 A$24.20

-37.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$4.07 A$5.88

-57.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$3.25 A$4.70

-55.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.87

$3.44 A$4.98

-48.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.67

$4.28 A$6.19

-55.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.86

$3.28 A$4.73

-73.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$2.30 A$3.32

-73.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.21 A$1.74

22.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.41

$43.71 A$63.2

-91.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.59 ¥138

$13.88 A$20.05

48.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$3.90 A$5.64

-76.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$3.91 A$5.65

-70.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.91

$3.04 A$4.40

-85.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$217

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$3.38 A$4.88

-63.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$1.56 A$2.25

-80.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.55

$40.01 A$57.8

-92.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.29

$1.40 A$2.02

-11.43%

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

$19.6K ¥130.8K

$29.1K A$42.1K

-32.77%

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

$18.0K ¥120.0K

$30.1K A$43.5K

-40.40%

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

$75.1 ¥502

$223 A$322

-66.25%

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

$4.52 ¥30.21

$27.16 A$39.25

-83.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.4

$55.8 A$80.7

-73.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.44 ¥257

$74.6 A$108

-48.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.21 ¥28.15

$23.99 A$34.67

-82.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 ¥45.87

$17.56 A$25.38

-60.93%

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

$546 ¥3,646

$2,196 A$3,173

-75.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ¥143.0K

$28.2K A$40.7K

-24.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 ¥496

$78.4 A$113

-5.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 ¥302

$68.4 A$98.9

-33.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥407

$111 A$161

-45.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 ¥475

$134 A$194

-47.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,458

$2,500 A$3,613

-91.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,677

$1,709 A$2,470

-85.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 ¥3,844

$4,946 A$7,146

-88.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,071

$3,022 A$4,367

-89.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,661 ¥11.1K

$13.2K A$19.0K

-87.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 ¥6,783

$8,370 A$12.1K

-87.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 ¥6,445

$4,113 A$5,944

-76.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

5.84

-25.17%

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

Last update for Changchun: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changchun

$315 * 34.6%

Sydney

$379 12% 20.1% $63

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$251 27.5%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 581% $1.5K

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$113 12.4%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 56.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$95 10.4%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 223% $211

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 266% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$52 5.7%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 110% $58

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 3715% $169

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Changchun and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 326% 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: $22.00 in Changchun vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $379 per month, with Changchun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

3 h ahead of Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.692 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.692 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Changchun Sydney 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
Sydney

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

Changchun vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 246% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 326% lower in Sydney. 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: $218 in Changchun versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $546 in Changchun versus $2,196 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $912 in Changchun versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Changchun and Sydney are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 246% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.