Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Foshan and Penrith

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $2,604 in Penrith, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Foshan
Learn more

Foshan Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
Learn more

Penrith Living Index

Jump to prices

Foshan

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Foshan and in Penrith

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $777 in Foshan versus $2,604 in Penrith.

Foshan $777
Penrith $2,604

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,242 in Foshan versus $3,652 in Penrith.

Foshan $1,242
Penrith $3,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,708 in Foshan versus $4,701 in Penrith.

Foshan $1,708
Penrith $4,701

Living in Foshan costs roughly 70% less than in Penrith, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Foshan is 42% below, Penrith is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.78 ¥25.26

$21.03 A$30.26

-82.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.79 ¥152

$89.7 A$129

-74.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.19

$10.56 A$15.19

-51.61%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥20.50

$2.04 A$2.93

50.49%

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

$0.52 ¥3.49

$3.16 A$4.54

-83.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$2.56 A$3.69

-87.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.17

$8.57 A$12.33

-85.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$4.96 A$7.14

-61.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ¥11.11

$1.57 A$2.26

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ¥7.48

$3.32 A$4.78

-66.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$2.54 A$3.65

-63.78%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.38

$5.16 A$7.42

-67.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 ¥112

$13.08 A$18.82

27.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ¥26.18

$9.74 A$14.02

-59.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 ¥71.5

$15.40 A$22.16

-30.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ¥20.16

$3.93 A$5.65

-23.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$3.08 A$4.43

-58.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.69

$3.50 A$5.04

-45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.91

$5.31 A$7.65

-69.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$3.17 A$4.56

-65.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.38

$2.80 A$4.02

-66.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.26

$2.48 A$3.57

-74.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.36

$1.34 A$1.93

-62.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.23 ¥14.89

$45.42 A$65.4

-95.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.23 ¥68.4

$14.07 A$20.24

-27.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$4.62 A$6.65

-79.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ¥10.13

$5.64 A$8.11

-73.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$3.17 A$4.57

-90.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.62 ¥71.0

$78.5 A$113

-86.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.18

$4.11 A$5.92

-63.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.57 A$2.26

-70.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ¥58.9

$42.63 A$61.3

-79.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥8.19

$1.18 A$1.70

3.39%

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

$21.3K ¥142.3K

$27.1K A$39.0K

-21.45%

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

$16.2K ¥108.3K

$30.0K A$43.2K

-46.04%

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

$84.5 ¥565

$183 A$263

-53.74%

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

$7.92 ¥53.0

$26.16 A$37.65

-69.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.69 ¥105

$55.4 A$79.7

-71.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ¥477

$51.0 A$73.4

39.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.83 ¥159

$17.66 A$25.42

34.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ¥35.50

$15.88 A$22.86

-66.56%

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

$457 ¥3,054

$2,390 A$3,439

-80.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ¥155.8K

$19.9K A$28.7K

16.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.21 ¥282

$75.3 A$108

-43.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.76 ¥125

$56.1 A$80.8

-66.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.1 ¥415

$108 A$155

-42.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 ¥614

$134 A$193

-31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥2,031

$1,371 A$1,973

-77.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ¥1,061

$1,289 A$1,855

-87.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,982

$2,142 A$3,082

-72.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 ¥2,279

$1,686 A$2,427

-79.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 ¥28.9K

$4,992 A$7,184

-13.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,864 ¥12.5K

$4,361 A$6,275

-57.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$802 ¥5,362

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

5.95

-35.63%

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

Last update for Foshan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Foshan

$220 28.4%

Penrith

$396 15.2% 79.7% $176

Accommodation & Living

Foshan

$159 20.4%

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5% 713% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Foshan

$108 13.9%

Penrith

$264 10.2% 144% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Foshan

$97 12.4%

Penrith

$168 6.5% 73.8% $71

Eating Out

Foshan

$96 12.3%

Penrith

$300 11.5% 214% $204

Sport & Entertainment

Foshan

$82 10.6%

Penrith

$83 3.2% 1% $0.8

Getting Around

Foshan

$16 2%

Penrith

$103 4% 555% $87

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Foshan and $1,371 in Penrith. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Foshan vs $90.0 in Penrith for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $396 per month, with Foshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Foshan

🇦🇺 Penrith

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

13:50 1:50 PM

3 h ahead of Foshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,498,863

13,343

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Foshan Penrith 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Foshan
Penrith

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

Foshan vs Penrith: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,166 in Foshan and $3,905 in Penrith to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $304 in Foshan versus $1,371 in Penrith. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 639% less than in Penrith. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $457 in Foshan versus $2,390 in Penrith. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $777 in Foshan versus $2,604 in Penrith, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Penrith. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan 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, Foshan and Penrith 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 Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 235% less than in Penrith. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.