Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and China

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,182
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 150.9% more expensive than China without rent, and 306.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 158.2% more expensive than China without rent, and 254.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.66 A$25.28
$2.90 ¥19.39
508.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$97.1 A$139
$22.02 ¥147
340.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.94 A$17.09
$5.20 ¥34.74
129.62%
Cappuccino
$4.00 A$5.72
$3.04 ¥20.31
31.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 A$4.06
$0.52 ¥3.45
446.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 A$3.25
$0.28 ¥1.85
710.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.89 A$11.29
$1.01 ¥6.75
681.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.13 A$10.20
$2.19 ¥14.64
225.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 A$2.38
$1.75 ¥11.71
-5.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.79 A$4.00
$1.64 ¥10.96
70.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.33
$0.92 ¥6.12
152.17%
Eggs
$5.53 A$7.92
$1.59 ¥10.66
247.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.08 A$17.28
$12.99 ¥86.8
-7.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.84 A$14.09
$3.35 ¥22.38
193.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.61 A$23.78
$11.18 ¥74.7
48.57%
Apples (1kg)
$4.02 A$5.76
$1.80 ¥12.02
123.33%
Banana (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.51
$1.31 ¥8.78
140.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.50 A$5.01
$1.47 ¥9.80
138.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 A$6.39
$1.32 ¥8.79
238.64%
Potato (1kg)
$3.32 A$4.76
$0.76 ¥5.07
336.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 A$3.30
$0.92 ¥6.15
150.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 A$3.35
$0.59 ¥3.94
296.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 A$1.65
$0.54 ¥3.63
112.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$45.02 A$64.4
$3.79 ¥25.34
1087.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.96 A$19.97
$12.14 ¥81.1
14.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.98 A$5.70
$0.82 ¥5.48
385.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 A$5.82
$1.63 ¥10.92
149.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 A$4.52
$0.29 ¥1.93
989.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$150 A$215
$22.33 ¥149
571.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 A$4.94
$1.53 ¥10.24
125.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 A$2.33
$0.35 ¥2.31
365.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.98 A$57.2
$7.00 ¥46.79
471.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 A$2.01
$1.31 ¥8.77
6.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K A$40.7K
$19.0K ¥127.1K
49.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K A$42.1K
$17.0K ¥113.7K
72.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$220 A$315
$54.1 ¥362
306.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.70 A$39.64
$8.42 ¥56.3
228.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.5 A$79.5
$10.72 ¥71.6
418.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.3 A$106
$40.72 ¥272
82.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.95 A$34.28
$14.58 ¥97.4
64.27%
Cinema Ticket
$17.73 A$25.37
$6.76 ¥45.15
162.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,157 A$3,087
$462 ¥3,089
366.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.3K A$40.5K
$19.6K ¥131.0K
44.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.4 A$112
$45.57 ¥305
72.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.5 A$101
$36.05 ¥241
95.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 A$159
$75.4 ¥504
47.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$189
$79.0 ¥528
66.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,514 A$3,598
$386 ¥2,577
552.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,732 A$2,478
$240 ¥1,601
622.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,889 A$6,996
$843 ¥5,637
479.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,039 A$4,349
$461 ¥3,083
558.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.2K A$18.9K
$4,590 ¥30.7K
187.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,117 A$11.6K
$2,279 ¥15.2K
256.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,082 A$5,842
$1,060 ¥7,082
285.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
3.46
68.79%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sydney
$1.7K
China
$240 86.2% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Sydney
$380
China
$207 45.5% $173
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
$303
China
$73 75.8% $230
Eating Out
Sydney
$299
China
$88 70.6% $211
Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
$176
China
$106 39.8% $70
Getting Around
Sydney
$174
China
$27 84.6% $147
Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
$110
China
$54 50.6% $56
Good to know
🇦🇺 Sydney
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
20:05 8:05 PM
17:05 5:05 PM
3 h behind Sydney
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,840,600
1,442,965,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sydney China 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sydney
  • China

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.
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