Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Baotou

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Baotou

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 Baotou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $768 in Baotou, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
Baotou $768

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,248 in Baotou, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Baotou $1,248

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,728 in Baotou, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Baotou $1,728

Sydney costs about 322% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while Baotou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$5.26 ¥35.18

230.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$22.87 ¥153

294.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$9.50 ¥63.5

25.47%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.78 ¥18.56

44.96%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.47 ¥3.17

512.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.31 ¥2.07

619.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$1.13 ¥7.59

598.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$1.91 ¥12.77

254.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.87 ¥12.49

-8.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.59 ¥10.65

84.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.65 ¥4.35

286.15%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$2.48 ¥16.55

123.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$13.77 ¥92.1

-14.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$3.87 ¥25.86

139.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$12.26 ¥82.0

36.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$1.90 ¥12.70

106.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.33 ¥8.87

137.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$1.50 ¥10.01

132.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.27 ¥8.52

244.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$0.75 ¥5.01

344.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.01 ¥6.76

137.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.58 ¥3.88

298.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.59 ¥3.93

94.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$4.28 ¥28.59

935.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$10.83 ¥72.4

26.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.86 ¥5.77

365.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.55 ¥10.34

160.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.31 ¥2.08

938.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$16.41 ¥110

839.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.02 ¥6.85

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.35 ¥2.35

351.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$7.09 ¥47.38

456.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.16 ¥7.77

27.59%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$21.1K ¥141.2K

39.92%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$20.1K ¥134.6K

37.38%

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

$241 A$347

$58.0 ¥388

315.89%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$8.15 ¥54.5

238.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$9.65 ¥64.5

483.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$47.39 ¥317

64.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$15.49 ¥104

50.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$5.08 ¥34.00

245.47%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$371 ¥2,483

488.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

40.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$42.80 ¥286

86.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$36.08 ¥241

95.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$73.6 ¥492

50.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$88.4 ¥591

46.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$263 ¥1,758

841.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$173 ¥1,154

929.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$605 ¥4,042

708.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$380 ¥2,543

713.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$3,121 ¥20.9K

329.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$2,040 ¥13.6K

310.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$666 ¥4,454

511.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.36

76.19%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Baotou

$173 22.5% 90.3% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Baotou

$217 28.3% 42.6% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 76.7% $249

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 60.7% $180

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Baotou

$20 2.7% 88.5% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Baotou

$108 14.1% 38.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Baotou

$58 7.5% 49.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $263 in Baotou. 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 512% 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 $90.0 in Sydney versus $23.00 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $217 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

09:27 9:27 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

2,709,378

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Sydney Baotou 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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 Baotou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,245 in Sydney, $768 in Baotou – roughly 322% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,867 per month in Sydney and $1,153 in Baotou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 74% 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 $90.0 in Sydney and $23.00 in Baotou. 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 Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – 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 Baotou. 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.