Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
Learn more

Shantou Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Shantou $692
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Sydney $6,268

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

Shantou sits 49% below the global median, while Sydney is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$17.57 A$25.17

-86.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$91.5 A$131

-74.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$11.96 A$17.13

-56.77%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$4.07 A$5.83

-16.95%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$2.85 A$4.08

-83.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$2.25 A$3.23

-86.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$7.60 A$10.89

-88.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$7.43 A$10.64

-71.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.66 A$2.37

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$2.78 A$3.99

-47.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$2.42 A$3.47

-68.18%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$5.64 A$8.08

-70.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$11.71 A$16.78

16.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$9.66 A$13.83

-64.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$16.75 A$24.00

-21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$4.07 A$5.83

-52.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$3.25 A$4.66

-53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$3.44 A$4.93

-47.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$4.28 A$6.13

-69.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$3.28 A$4.69

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$2.30 A$3.29

-53.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$2.30 A$3.29

-74.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.21 A$1.73

-64.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$43.71 A$62.6

-91.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$13.88 A$19.88

-13.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$3.90 A$5.59

-78.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$3.91 A$5.60

-54.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$3.04 A$4.36

-88.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$150 A$215

-83.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$3.38 A$4.84

-54.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$1.56 A$2.23

-75.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$40.01 A$57.3

-81.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.40 A$2.00

-12.14%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$29.1K A$41.7K

-32.03%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$30.1K A$43.2K

-40.19%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$223 A$319

-74.55%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$27.16 A$38.91

-67.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$55.8 A$80.0

-75.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$17.56 A$25.16

-57.06%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$2,196 A$3,146

-75.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$28.2K A$40.4K

-14.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$78.4 A$112

-29.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$68.4 A$98.0

-41.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$111 A$159

-34.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$134 A$193

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$2,500 A$3,582

-88.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$1,709 A$2,449

-91.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$4,946 A$7,085

-87.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$3,022 A$4,329

-90.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-82.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$8,370 A$12.0K

-46.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$4,113 A$5,893

-74.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.84

-42.64%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Sydney

$379 12% 76.6% $164

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 1030% $1.6K

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 51.1% $60

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 246% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 285% $226

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 495% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 627% $95

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou versus $2,500 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 287% 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 $24.00 in Shantou versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $379 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

3 h ahead of Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shantou Sydney 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $692 in Shantou, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 355% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou and $4,728 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 77% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Shantou and $91.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. 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.