Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jump to prices
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,182
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: China is 60.1% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 75.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 61.3% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 71.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90 ¥19.39
$17.66 A$25.28
-83.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.02 ¥147
$97.1 A$139
-77.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ¥34.74
$11.94 A$17.09
-56.45%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.31
$4.00 A$5.72
-24.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.45
$2.84 A$4.06
-81.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.85
$2.27 A$3.25
-87.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ¥6.75
$7.89 A$11.29
-87.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.64
$7.13 A$10.20
-69.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥11.71
$1.66 A$2.38
5.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.96
$2.79 A$4.00
-41.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.12
$2.32 A$3.33
-60.34%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.66
$5.53 A$7.92
-71.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 ¥86.8
$12.08 A$17.28
7.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.38
$9.84 A$14.09
-65.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.7
$16.61 A$23.78
-32.69%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.02
$4.02 A$5.76
-55.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$3.15 A$4.51
-58.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.80
$3.50 A$5.01
-58.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.79
$4.47 A$6.39
-70.47%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.07
$3.32 A$4.76
-77.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.15
$2.30 A$3.30
-60.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.94
$2.34 A$3.35
-74.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.63
$1.15 A$1.65
-53.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥25.34
$45.02 A$64.4
-91.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 ¥81.1
$13.96 A$19.97
-13.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥5.48
$3.98 A$5.70
-79.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.92
$4.07 A$5.82
-59.95%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$3.16 A$4.52
-90.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.33 ¥149
$150 A$215
-85.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ¥10.24
$3.45 A$4.94
-55.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.31
$1.63 A$2.33
-78.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.00 ¥46.79
$39.98 A$57.2
-82.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.77
$1.40 A$2.01
-6.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥127.1K
$28.4K A$40.7K
-33.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥113.7K
$29.4K A$42.1K
-42.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.1 ¥362
$220 A$315
-75.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.42 ¥56.3
$27.70 A$39.64
-69.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 ¥71.6
$55.5 A$79.5
-80.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.72 ¥272
$74.3 A$106
-45.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.58 ¥97.4
$23.95 A$34.28
-39.12%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 ¥45.15
$17.73 A$25.37
-61.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ¥3,089
$2,157 A$3,087
-78.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K ¥131.0K
$28.3K A$40.5K
-30.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 ¥305
$78.4 A$112
-41.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.05 ¥241
$70.5 A$101
-48.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥504
$111 A$159
-32.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$132 A$189
-40.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 ¥2,577
$2,514 A$3,598
-84.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,601
$1,732 A$2,478
-86.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 ¥5,637
$4,889 A$6,996
-82.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ¥3,083
$3,039 A$4,349
-84.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,590 ¥30.7K
$13.2K A$18.9K
-65.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,279 ¥15.2K
$8,117 A$11.6K
-71.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,060 ¥7,082
$4,082 A$5,842
-74.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
5.84
-40.75%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
China
$240
Sydney
$1.7K 623% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
China
$207
Sydney
$380 83.6% $173
Clothing & Footwear
China
$106
Sydney
$176 66.1% $70
Eating Out
China
$88
Sydney
$299 241% $211
Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$73
Sydney
$303 314% $230
Sport & Entertainment
China
$54
Sydney
$110 102% $56
Getting Around
China
$27
Sydney
$174 551% $147
Good to know
🇨🇳 China
🇦🇺 Sydney
🕒 Local time
17:05 5:05 PM
20:05 8:05 PM
3 h ahead of China
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,442,965,000
4,840,600
💱 Currency
Chinese Yuan CNY ¥
Australian Dollar AUD $
📈 Exchange rate
1 CNY = 0.15 USD
1 CNY = 0.133 EUR
1 AUD = 0.699 USD
1 AUD = 0.623 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • China Sydney 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • China
  • 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

China vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,199
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$481
/mo nomad
Show more

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