Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Anshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Anshan: $630 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Anshan
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Anshan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Anshan

🇨🇳 China

$630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Anshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $630 in Anshan.

Sydney $3,152
Anshan $630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,018 in Anshan.

Sydney $4,710
Anshan $1,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,406 in Anshan.

Sydney $6,268
Anshan $1,406

Living in Sydney is roughly 401% more expensive than in Anshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Anshan is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.08 ¥20.59

470.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$18.82 ¥126

386.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.36 ¥29.16

174.31%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.49 ¥16.65

63.45%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.39 ¥2.58

630.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.23 ¥1.54

878.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$0.78 ¥5.25

874.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.66 ¥11.09

347.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.77 ¥11.83

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.29 ¥8.64

115.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.35 ¥2.37

591.43%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.06 ¥7.12

432.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$8.74 ¥58.4

33.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$1.77 ¥11.82

445.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.11 ¥60.9

83.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.06 ¥7.11

283.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.17 ¥7.82

177.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.18 ¥7.88

191.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.17 ¥7.81

265.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.31 ¥2.09

958.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.89 ¥5.95

158.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.29 ¥1.94

693.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.43 ¥2.89

181.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.66 ¥24.45

1094.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$7.66 ¥51.2

81.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.77 ¥5.14

406.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.10 ¥7.38

255.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.29 ¥1.94

948.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$17.75 ¥119

746.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.07 ¥7.13

215.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.16 ¥1.06

875.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$2.92 ¥19.53

1270.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.06 ¥7.07

32.08%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.5K ¥130.6K

49.07%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$15.2K ¥101.9K

97.70%

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

$223 A$320

$29.30 ¥196

659.73%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$7.25 ¥48.47

274.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$14.66 ¥98.0

280.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$42.00 ¥281

77.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$15.17 ¥101

58.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.91 ¥39.53

197.12%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$221 ¥1,478

893.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$21.7K ¥144.9K

30.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$37.91 ¥253

106.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$33.24 ¥222

105.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$60.1 ¥402

85.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$70.2 ¥470

91.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$298 ¥1,996

737.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$184 ¥1,229

830.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$626 ¥4,187

689.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$380 ¥2,540

695.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,597 ¥24.0K

266.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,957 ¥13.1K

327.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$960 ¥6,418

328.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

192.00%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Anshan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Anshan

$184 29.2% 89.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Anshan

$152 24.1% 59.8% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Anshan

$51 8.1% 83.2% $254

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Anshan

$77 12.3% 74.1% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Anshan

$91 14.4% 48.7% $86

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Anshan

$21 3.3% 88% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Anshan

$54 8.6% 50.9% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $298 in Anshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 328% 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: $91.0 in Sydney vs $19.00 in Anshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $152 per month, with Anshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Anshan

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,543,696

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Anshan 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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

Sydney vs Anshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Anshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 401% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 328% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,500 in Sydney versus $298 in Anshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Anshan – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,152 per month in Sydney versus $630 in Anshan – a 401% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $630 in Anshan versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Anshan but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Anshan 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, Sydney and Anshan 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 Anshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 401% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.