Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shijiazhuang and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $678 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Shijiazhuang versus $3,152 in Sydney.

Shijiazhuang $678
Sydney $3,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in Shijiazhuang versus $4,710 in Sydney.

Shijiazhuang $1,015
Sydney $4,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,353 in Shijiazhuang versus $6,268 in Sydney.

Shijiazhuang $1,353
Sydney $6,268

Living in Shijiazhuang costs roughly 78% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shijiazhuang is 50% below, Sydney is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.78 ¥11.90

$17.57 A$25.17

-89.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.80 ¥126

$91.5 A$131

-79.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.46 ¥36.50

$11.96 A$17.13

-54.35%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥21.51

$4.07 A$5.83

-20.88%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$2.85 A$4.08

-83.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$2.25 A$3.23

-88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 ¥5.34

$7.60 A$10.89

-89.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.35

$7.43 A$10.64

-77.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.86

$1.66 A$2.37

-20.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$2.78 A$3.99

-58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$2.42 A$3.47

-71.07%

Eggs

$1.23 ¥8.25

$5.64 A$8.08

-78.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.09 ¥108

$11.71 A$16.78

37.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ¥18.46

$9.66 A$13.83

-71.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.42 ¥63.0

$16.75 A$24.00

-43.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.90

$4.07 A$5.83

-59.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$3.25 A$4.66

-61.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$3.44 A$4.93

-77.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$4.28 A$6.13

-71.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$3.28 A$4.69

-82.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$2.30 A$3.29

-74.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$2.30 A$3.29

-72.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$1.21 A$1.73

-61.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.46

$43.71 A$62.6

-91.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.68 ¥24.64

$13.88 A$19.88

-73.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$3.90 A$5.59

-81.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$3.91 A$5.60

-81.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$3.04 A$4.36

-89.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥119

$150 A$215

-88.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$3.38 A$4.84

-65.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.34

$1.56 A$2.23

-77.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ¥23.36

$40.01 A$57.3

-91.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.29

$1.40 A$2.00

-11.43%

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

$19.7K ¥131.8K

$29.1K A$41.7K

-32.34%

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

$17.0K ¥113.9K

$30.1K A$43.2K

-43.49%

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

$93.9 ¥628

$223 A$319

-57.81%

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

$4.40 ¥29.45

$27.16 A$38.91

-83.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.63 ¥44.35

$55.8 A$80.0

-88.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.96 ¥93.4

$74.6 A$107

-81.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$23.99 A$34.37

-38.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.52 ¥36.93

$17.56 A$25.16

-68.56%

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

$377 ¥2,519

$2,196 A$3,146

-82.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,226 ¥35.0K

$28.2K A$40.4K

-81.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.51 ¥331

$78.4 A$112

-36.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.52 ¥177

$68.4 A$98.0

-61.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ¥505

$111 A$159

-32.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ¥366

$134 A$193

-59.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 ¥2,019

$2,500 A$3,582

-87.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,222

$1,709 A$2,449

-89.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ¥2,729

$4,946 A$7,085

-91.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,848

$3,022 A$4,329

-90.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,499 ¥16.7K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-81.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,670 ¥11.2K

$8,370 A$12.0K

-80.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 ¥5,357

$4,113 A$5,893

-80.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

5.84

-43.32%

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

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shijiazhuang

$183 27%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 835% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Shijiazhuang

$171 25.2%

Sydney

$379 12% 122% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shijiazhuang

$105 15.5%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 191% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Shijiazhuang

$93 13.7%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 90.3% $84

Eating Out

Shijiazhuang

$80 11.7%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 275% $219

Sport & Entertainment

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.7%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 339% $85

Getting Around

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 691% $152

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $302 in Shijiazhuang and $2,500 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 414% 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: $19.00 in Shijiazhuang vs $91.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $379 per month, with Shijiazhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

3 h ahead of Shijiazhuang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,235,086

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

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Between locations

Shijiazhuang Sydney 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Shijiazhuang
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

Shijiazhuang vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shijiazhuang wins on cost – living expenses run 365% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shijiazhuang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 414% 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: $302 in Shijiazhuang versus $2,500 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shijiazhuang runs roughly 745% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $377 in Shijiazhuang versus $2,196 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $678 in Shijiazhuang versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shijiazhuang but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Shijiazhuang 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, Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 365% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.