Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Chenzhou

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

A single person spends $3,267 per month in Sydney vs $721 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Sydney $3,267
Chenzhou $721

A couple spends around $4,847 per month in Sydney vs $1,197 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Sydney $4,847
Chenzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Sydney vs $1,674 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Sydney $6,428
Chenzhou $1,674

Sydney costs about 353% more than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 140% above the global median, while Chenzhou is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$3.03 ¥20.18

477.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$22.13 ¥148

308.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.00

$4.86 ¥32.38

146.09%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.69

$1.54 ¥10.26

159.74%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$0.51 ¥3.42

450.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$0.27 ¥1.81

722.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.57

$1.29 ¥8.59

530.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.24

$1.89 ¥12.61

280.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.97 ¥13.11

-13.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.18

$2.38 ¥15.85

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.58

$0.79 ¥5.24

217.72%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.05

$1.72 ¥11.48

229.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.37

$13.15 ¥87.6

-7.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$4.13 ¥27.51

125.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.99

$11.57 ¥77.1

45.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.55

$0.59 ¥3.93

561.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.18 ¥7.84

172.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$0.73 ¥4.88

369.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$1.19 ¥7.91

263.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.76

$0.97 ¥6.50

245.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.54 ¥10.26

55.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.33

$0.61 ¥4.05

283.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$0.49 ¥3.24

136.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.7

$3.02 ¥20.11

1405.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.89

$12.71 ¥84.7

10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$1.04 ¥6.92

295.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$1.57 ¥10.47

166.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$0.31 ¥2.05

906.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$15.40 ¥103

885.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$1.52 ¥10.11

127.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$0.29 ¥1.93

437.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$4.60 ¥30.64

759.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.29 ¥8.60

12.40%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$19.3K ¥128.6K

55.03%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$17.4K ¥115.8K

58.36%

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

$251 A$357

$56.3 ¥375

345.38%

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

$27.76 A$39.47

$8.94 ¥59.6

210.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.5

$11.27 ¥75.1

414.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$42.59 ¥284

65.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.06

$14.67 ¥97.8

58.49%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.35

$6.48 ¥43.20

175.15%

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

$2,358 A$3,353

$329 ¥2,192

617.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.7K

$16.9K ¥112.5K

61.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$84.2 ¥562

-4.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$35.01 ¥233

97.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$89.1 ¥594

24.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$58.9 ¥392

116.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,648

$310 ¥2,064

728.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,549

$163 ¥1,087

998.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,396

$584 ¥3,892

790.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,488

$414 ¥2,757

663.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$3,531 ¥23.5K

279.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$1,917 ¥12.8K

355.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,856

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 24, 2026

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Chenzhou

$163 22.6% 90.9% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Chenzhou

$215 29.8% 43.7% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Chenzhou

$77 10.6% 77.3% $260

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Chenzhou

$71 9.8% 76.4% $228

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Chenzhou

$20 2.7% 88.8% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Chenzhou

$120 16.7% 31.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Chenzhou

$56 7.7% 47.8% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,566 in Sydney versus $310 in Chenzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Sydney versus $22 in Chenzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $215 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,667,134

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Chenzhou 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Chenzhou

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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,267 in Sydney, $721 in Chenzhou – roughly 353% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,900 per month in Sydney and $1,081 in Chenzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $2,566 in Sydney.

Public transport costs about 90% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,358 per month in Sydney and $329 in Chenzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chenzhou, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Sydney at $3,267. In Chenzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chenzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 353% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.