Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chongqing and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $714 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
Learn more

Chongqing Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Chongqing vs $3,182 in Sydney, rent included.

Chongqing $714
Sydney $3,182

A couple spends around $1,168 per month in Chongqing vs $4,696 in Sydney, rent included.

Chongqing $1,168
Sydney $4,696

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Chongqing vs $6,210 in Sydney, rent included.

Chongqing $1,622
Sydney $6,210

Chongqing is about 78% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chongqing sits 47% below the global median, while Sydney is 137% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.67

$17.66 A$25.28

-85.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.05 ¥147

$97.1 A$139

-77.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ¥31.20

$11.94 A$17.09

-60.89%

Cappuccino

$2.06 ¥13.79

$4.00 A$5.72

-48.50%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$2.84 A$4.06

-84.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$2.27 A$3.25

-86.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 ¥8.02

$7.89 A$11.29

-84.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$7.13 A$10.20

-75.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ¥12.85

$1.66 A$2.38

15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 ¥10.56

$2.79 A$4.00

-43.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.25

$2.32 A$3.33

-72.41%

Eggs

$2.16 ¥14.42

$5.53 A$7.92

-60.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.55 ¥117

$12.08 A$17.28

45.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ¥22.55

$9.84 A$14.09

-65.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 ¥67.4

$16.61 A$23.78

-39.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$4.02 A$5.76

-61.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 ¥9.01

$3.15 A$4.51

-57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$3.50 A$5.01

-64.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$4.47 A$6.39

-72.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.07

$3.32 A$4.76

-81.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$2.30 A$3.30

-59.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ¥5.83

$2.34 A$3.35

-62.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.15 A$1.65

-46.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ¥20.51

$45.02 A$64.4

-93.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 ¥59.8

$13.96 A$19.97

-35.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$3.98 A$5.70

-80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.93

$4.07 A$5.82

-59.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$3.16 A$4.52

-87.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.16 ¥148

$150 A$215

-85.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$3.45 A$4.94

-55.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.63 A$2.33

-82.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.81

$39.98 A$57.2

-92.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$1.40 A$2.01

-10.00%

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

$19.5K ¥130.3K

$28.4K A$40.7K

-31.40%

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

$16.8K ¥112.4K

$29.4K A$42.1K

-42.80%

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

$44.19 ¥295

$220 A$315

-79.90%

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

$6.95 ¥46.43

$27.70 A$39.64

-74.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.17 ¥47.91

$55.5 A$79.5

-87.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 ¥339

$74.3 A$106

-31.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$23.95 A$34.28

-55.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ¥39.71

$17.73 A$25.37

-66.50%

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

$290 ¥1,939

$2,157 A$3,087

-86.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ¥171.0K

$28.3K A$40.5K

-9.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.88 ¥267

$78.4 A$112

-49.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.80 ¥199

$70.5 A$101

-57.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 ¥433

$111 A$159

-41.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.7 ¥419

$132 A$189

-52.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 ¥2,790

$2,514 A$3,598

-83.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 ¥1,338

$1,732 A$2,478

-88.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 ¥5,879

$4,889 A$6,996

-82.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,767

$3,039 A$4,349

-86.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ¥17.9K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-79.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,705 ¥11.4K

$8,117 A$11.6K

-78.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 ¥7,423

$4,082 A$5,842

-72.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

5.84

-42.81%

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

Last update for Chongqing: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chongqing

$213 29.5%

Sydney

$380 12% 78.8% $168

Accommodation & Living

Chongqing

$200 27.7%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 765% $1.5K

Clothing & Footwear

Chongqing

$89 12.3%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 98.7% $88

Eating Out

Chongqing

$72 10%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 313% $227

Sport & Entertainment

Chongqing

$63 8.7%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 75.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chongqing

$58 8.1%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 420% $245

Getting Around

Chongqing

$27 3.7%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 553% $148

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Chongqing versus $2,514 in Sydney. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 268% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chongqing versus $97.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $380 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

3 h ahead of Chongqing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,564,449

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chongqing Sydney 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chongqing
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

Chongqing vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 346%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,071 per month in Chongqing and $4,774 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chongqing, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $290 per month in Chongqing and $2,157 in Sydney. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 79% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chongqing. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.