Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $813 in Dongguan.

Sydney $3,152
Dongguan $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,291 in Dongguan.

Sydney $4,710
Dongguan $1,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,768 in Dongguan.

Sydney $6,268
Dongguan $1,768

Living in Sydney is roughly 288% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Dongguan is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.17

$2.57 ¥17.18

583.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$22.04 ¥147

315.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.13

$5.26 ¥35.16

127.38%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.56 ¥17.14

58.98%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.47 ¥3.15

506.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.29 ¥1.93

675.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.89

$0.92 ¥6.18

726.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.64

$2.21 ¥14.80

236.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.37

$1.60 ¥10.69

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.99

$1.56 ¥10.42

78.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.47

$1.03 ¥6.90

134.95%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.08

$1.66 ¥11.12

239.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.78

$20.79 ¥139

-43.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.83

$3.44 ¥22.99

180.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.00

$14.23 ¥95.2

17.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.27 ¥15.17

79.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.66

$1.57 ¥10.51

107.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.93

$1.94 ¥12.95

77.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.13

$1.42 ¥9.47

201.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.69

$1.08 ¥7.19

203.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$1.24 ¥8.32

85.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.56 ¥3.72

310.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.55 ¥3.68

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.6

$4.49 ¥30.04

873.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.88

$11.89 ¥79.5

16.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$0.86 ¥5.76

353.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.60

$1.75 ¥11.68

123.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.35 ¥2.35

768.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$22.79 ¥152

559.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.18 ¥7.91

186.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$0.39 ¥2.59

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.3

$4.36 ¥29.14

817.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.28 ¥8.53

9.37%

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

$29.1K A$41.7K

$19.5K ¥130.7K

48.99%

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

$30.1K A$43.2K

$18.6K ¥124.6K

61.76%

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

$223 A$319

$63.8 ¥426

249.12%

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

$27.16 A$38.91

$9.24 ¥61.8

193.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.0

$13.08 ¥87.5

326.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$51.1 ¥341

46.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

$16.01 ¥107

49.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.16

$7.67 ¥51.3

128.94%

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

$2,196 A$3,146

$533 ¥3,566

311.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.4K

$24.2K ¥161.6K

16.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$46.76 ¥313

67.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.0

$40.41 ¥270

69.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$73.3 ¥490

51.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$39.10 ¥262

243.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,582

$372 ¥2,490

571.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,449

$218 ¥1,459

683.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,085

$662 ¥4,427

647.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,329

$431 ¥2,883

601.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$5,714 ¥38.2K

130.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,066 ¥20.5K

173.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,893

$858 ¥5,736

379.61%

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 Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Dongguan

$218 26.8% 87.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Dongguan

$246 30.3% 34.9% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Dongguan

$86 10.6% 71.8% $219

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Dongguan

$79 9.7% 73.5% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Dongguan

$90 11% 49.2% $87

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Dongguan

$27 3.4% 84.3% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Dongguan

$66 8.2% 39.5% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $372 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 380% 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 $22.00 in Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $246 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

8,254,100

💱 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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Between locations

Sydney Dongguan 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Sydney
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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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 288% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 380% 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 $372 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 559% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $533 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $813 in Dongguan versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 288% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.