Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,200 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Chaozhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,245 in Sydney versus $642 in Chaozhou.

Sydney $3,245
Chaozhou $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,803 in Sydney versus $1,047 in Chaozhou.

Sydney $4,803
Chaozhou $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,362 in Sydney versus $1,451 in Chaozhou.

Sydney $6,362
Chaozhou $1,451

Living in Sydney is roughly 405% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 139% above, Chaozhou is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.26 ¥15.10

670.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$23.63 ¥158

282.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$3.54 ¥23.65

236.72%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.52 ¥10.18

165.13%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.49 ¥3.29

487.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.29 ¥1.93

668.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$1.17 ¥7.83

574.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$2.87 ¥19.20

136.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.52 ¥10.19

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.48 ¥9.88

98.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.73 ¥4.87

243.84%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.16 ¥7.74

378.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$9.61 ¥64.2

22.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$2.52 ¥16.85

268.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$11.99 ¥80.1

39.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$2.20 ¥14.74

78.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$0.94 ¥6.29

236.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$0.92 ¥6.16

278.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.76 ¥11.77

148.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$0.62 ¥4.15

437.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$0.47 ¥3.15

410.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.43 ¥2.88

437.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.31 ¥2.08

270.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$2.95 ¥19.76

1403.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$11.03 ¥73.8

24.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.72 ¥4.84

455.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.17 ¥7.84

244.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.29 ¥1.92

1010.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$18.02 ¥121

755.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.00 ¥6.71

257.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.29 ¥1.91

444.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$7.03 ¥47.02

461.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.24 ¥8.26

19.35%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

52.46%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$17.7K ¥118.1K

56.60%

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

$241 A$347

$43.79 ¥293

451.22%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$4.32 ¥28.86

538.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$11.32 ¥75.7

397.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$41.24 ¥276

89.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$15.04 ¥101

54.65%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$6.36 ¥42.53

175.94%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$483 ¥3,231

352.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$24.7K ¥165.0K

12.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$13.41 ¥89.7

496.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$28.46 ¥190

148.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$88.1 ¥589

25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$60.0 ¥401

115.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$300 ¥2,003

726.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$179 ¥1,200

890.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$624 ¥4,169

683.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$376 ¥2,513

723.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$3,524 ¥23.6K

280.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$1,951 ¥13.0K

329.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$490 ¥3,279

730.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.46

71.10%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 89.9% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 52.3% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 81.7% $266

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 79.2% $235

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 87.9% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 51.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 52.3% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,477 in Sydney and $300 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 731% 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: $90.0 in Sydney vs $24.00 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $180 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

11:26 11:26 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

2,568,387

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Chaozhou 7,370 km ≈ 10 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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Chaozhou differ by about 405% in total monthly costs ($3,245 vs $642 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 731% 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: $2,477 in Sydney versus $300 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,185 in Sydney versus $483 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 405% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.