Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,178 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Beijing (Pekin) $1,178

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $1,895 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Beijing (Pekin) $1,895

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $2,612 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Beijing (Pekin) $2,612

Sydney costs about 170% more than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 137% above the global median, while Beijing (Pekin) is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$4.54 ¥30.34

288.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$29.25 ¥196

231.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.32 ¥35.54

124.44%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.52 ¥23.53

13.64%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.53 ¥3.56

435.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.28 ¥1.87

710.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$1.22 ¥8.17

546.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$1.67 ¥11.13

326.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.67 ¥11.14

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.77 ¥11.80

57.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.29 ¥8.61

79.84%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$2.04 ¥13.65

171.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$14.52 ¥97.0

-16.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$3.21 ¥21.43

206.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$11.23 ¥75.1

47.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.09 ¥13.94

92.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.72 ¥11.50

83.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$2.01 ¥13.42

74.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$1.55 ¥10.36

188.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$0.67 ¥4.51

395.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.85 ¥5.69

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.74 ¥4.96

216.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.62 ¥4.13

85.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$4.42 ¥29.52

918.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$13.84 ¥92.5

0.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$1.03 ¥6.87

286.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.81 ¥12.09

124.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.64 ¥4.30

393.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$34.88 ¥233

329.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.98 ¥13.23

74.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.35 ¥2.34

365.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$7.65 ¥51.1

422.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.27 ¥8.50

10.24%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

45.06%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$18.1K ¥121.2K

62.18%

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

$220 A$315

$59.0 ¥394

272.69%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$8.94 ¥59.8

209.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$14.15 ¥94.6

292.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$40.77 ¥272

82.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$24.56 ¥164

-2.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$7.38 ¥49.29

140.24%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$650 ¥4,346

231.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$24.5K ¥163.5K

15.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$70.4 ¥471

11.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$40.51 ¥271

74.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$87.6 ¥585

27.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$124 ¥829

6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$933 ¥6,236

169.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$518 ¥3,463

234.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$2,387 ¥16.0K

104.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$1,143 ¥7,642

165.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$12.6K ¥84.0K

5.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$6,393 ¥42.7K

26.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$1,710 ¥11.4K

138.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.21

81.93%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44% 70.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4% 40.1% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7% 72.9% $221

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1% 64.2% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3% 17.7% $31

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5% 76.4% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7% 49.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $933 in Beijing (Pekin). 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 139% 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 $97.0 in Sydney versus $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $228 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Beijing (Pekin) 8,950 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 Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $1,768 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney and $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,182 in Sydney and $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin). That's a gap of about 170%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,178, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.