Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaozhou and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index
156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou and in Sydney actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $642 in Chaozhou versus $3,245 in Sydney.

Chaozhou $642
Sydney $3,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,047 in Chaozhou versus $4,803 in Sydney.

Chaozhou $1,047
Sydney $4,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Chaozhou versus $6,362 in Sydney.

Chaozhou $1,451
Sydney $6,362

Living in Chaozhou costs roughly 80% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chaozhou is 53% below, Sydney is 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$17.41 A$25.05

-87.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$90.3 A$130

-73.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$11.92 A$17.15

-70.30%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$4.03 A$5.80

-62.28%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$2.88 A$4.15

-82.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$2.23 A$3.20

-87.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$7.89 A$11.36

-85.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

$6.78 A$9.76

-57.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.71 A$2.45

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$2.94 A$4.23

-49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$2.51 A$3.61

-70.92%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$5.55 A$7.99

-79.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$11.77 A$16.94

-18.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$9.28 A$13.35

-72.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$16.70 A$24.03

-28.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$3.92 A$5.64

-43.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$3.16 A$4.55

-70.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$3.48 A$5.00

-73.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$4.38 A$6.31

-59.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$3.33 A$4.79

-81.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$2.40 A$3.46

-80.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$2.31 A$3.32

-81.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.15 A$1.65

-73.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$44.34 A$63.8

-93.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$13.71 A$19.72

-19.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$4.00 A$5.75

-82.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$4.03 A$5.80

-70.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$3.22 A$4.63

-90.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$154 A$222

-88.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$3.57 A$5.14

-71.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.58 A$2.27

-81.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$39.44 A$56.8

-82.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.48 A$2.13

-16.22%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$29.6K A$42.5K

-34.41%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$27.7K A$39.8K

-36.14%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$241 A$347

-81.86%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$27.57 A$39.67

-84.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$56.3 A$81.0

-79.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$78.1 A$112

-47.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$23.26 A$33.47

-35.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$17.55 A$25.26

-63.76%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$2,185 A$3,144

-77.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$27.8K A$40.0K

-11.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$80.0 A$115

-83.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$70.7 A$102

-59.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$111 A$159

-20.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$129 A$186

-53.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$2,477 A$3,564

-87.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$1,777 A$2,557

-89.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$4,885 A$7,030

-87.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$3,093 A$4,451

-87.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$13.4K A$19.3K

-73.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$8,375 A$12.1K

-76.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$4,074 A$5,862

-87.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.92

-41.55%

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

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Sydney

$378 11.7% 110% $198

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8% 890% $1.6K

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 106% $90

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Sydney

$297 9.2% 381% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Sydney

$325 10% 447% $266

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Sydney

$113 3.5% 110% $59

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Sydney

$178 5.5% 726% $157

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Chaozhou and $2,477 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 731% 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: $24.00 in Chaozhou vs $90.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $378 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

14:00 2:00 PM

3 h ahead of Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chaozhou Sydney 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaozhou
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

Chaozhou vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaozhou and Sydney differ by about 405% in total monthly costs ($642 vs $3,245 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 731% 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: $300 in Chaozhou versus $2,477 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Chaozhou versus $2,185 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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, Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 405% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.