Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Changzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
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Changzhou Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Changzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $741 in Changzhou.

Sydney $3,152
Changzhou $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,217 in Changzhou.

Sydney $4,710
Changzhou $1,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,694 in Changzhou.

Sydney $6,268
Changzhou $1,694

Living in Sydney is roughly 326% more expensive than in Changzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Changzhou is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.17

$2.92 ¥19.51

501.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$28.54 ¥191

220.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.13

$4.51 ¥30.16

165.19%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.22 ¥14.82

83.33%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.38 ¥2.55

650.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.23 ¥1.53

878.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.89

$0.62 ¥4.15

1125.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.64

$1.45 ¥9.69

412.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.37

$1.86 ¥12.47

-10.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.99

$1.28 ¥8.59

117.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.47

$1.00 ¥6.66

142.00%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.08

$1.72 ¥11.54

227.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.78

$7.41 ¥49.55

58.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.83

$2.82 ¥18.86

242.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.00

$12.35 ¥82.6

35.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.16 ¥14.44

88.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.66

$1.73 ¥11.58

87.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.93

$1.97 ¥13.14

74.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.13

$1.04 ¥6.97

311.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.69

$0.77 ¥5.13

325.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.99 ¥6.63

132.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.39 ¥2.60

489.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.62 ¥4.18

95.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.6

$3.29 ¥22.03

1228.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.88

$10.58 ¥70.8

31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$0.82 ¥5.49

375.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.60

$1.56 ¥10.45

150.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.33 ¥2.20

821.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$14.32 ¥95.8

949.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.51 ¥10.09

123.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$0.31 ¥2.08

403.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.3

$2.93 ¥19.57

1265.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.31 ¥8.74

6.87%

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

$29.1K A$41.7K

$17.1K ¥114.1K

70.64%

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

$30.1K A$43.2K

$13.8K ¥92.3K

118.23%

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

$223 A$319

$57.5 ¥385

287.06%

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

$27.16 A$38.91

$8.13 ¥54.3

234.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.0

$10.66 ¥71.3

423.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$40.60 ¥272

83.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

$14.75 ¥98.7

62.64%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.16

$4.57 ¥30.53

284.25%

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

$2,196 A$3,146

$251 ¥1,681

773.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.4K

$15.1K ¥101.1K

86.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$55.3 ¥370

41.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.0

$22.58 ¥151

203.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$76.0 ¥508

46.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$76.2 ¥510

76.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,582

$285 ¥1,908

776.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,449

$229 ¥1,529

647.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,085

$917 ¥6,133

439.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,329

$495 ¥3,312

510.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,942 ¥19.7K

347.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,613 ¥10.8K

418.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,893

$1,067 ¥7,132

285.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.35

74.33%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Changzhou

$229 30.9% 86.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Changzhou

$192 25.9% 49.3% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Changzhou

$76 10.3% 75% $229

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Changzhou

$72 9.7% 75.9% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Changzhou

$104 14% 41.4% $73

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Changzhou

$19 2.5% 89.2% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Changzhou

$50 6.7% 54.7% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $285 in Changzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 286% 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 $29.00 in Changzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $192 per month, with Changzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

5,278,121

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Changzhou 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Changzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 326% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 286% 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 $285 in Changzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Changzhou – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou 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 Changzhou 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 Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 326% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.