Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Dongying

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongying: $715 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,200 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Dongying
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Dongying Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Dongying

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Dongying

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $705 in Dongying.

Sydney $3,182
Dongying $705

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,139 in Dongying.

Sydney $4,696
Dongying $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $1,572 in Dongying.

Sydney $6,210
Dongying $1,572

Living in Sydney is roughly 351% more expensive than in Dongying, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Dongying is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.25

$2.76 ¥18.43

536.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$21.29 ¥142

329.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.19

$4.89 ¥32.67

144.58%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.00 ¥20.03

35.67%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.43 ¥2.88

562.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.27 ¥1.79

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.93

$0.95 ¥6.36

700.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.67

$2.13 ¥14.26

248.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.84 ¥12.31

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.63 ¥10.87

70.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.48

$0.96 ¥6.44

152.08%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.10

$1.55 ¥10.37

263.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.83

$12.66 ¥84.6

-7.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.88

$3.18 ¥21.23

203.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.07

$10.24 ¥68.4

63.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.81 ¥12.09

124.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.67

$1.26 ¥8.41

157.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.95

$1.47 ¥9.84

134.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.15

$1.14 ¥7.60

275.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.71

$0.75 ¥4.98

337.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.91 ¥6.07

152.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.59 ¥3.97

289.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.51 ¥3.43

137.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.8

$3.05 ¥20.38

1333.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.94

$10.41 ¥69.6

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.61

$0.75 ¥5.03

420.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.62

$1.66 ¥11.08

135.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.37

$0.29 ¥1.95

948.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$16.96 ¥113

785.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.85

$1.41 ¥9.41

139.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.33 ¥2.18

372.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.5

$6.85 ¥45.79

484.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.13 ¥7.52

23.89%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.8K ¥132.3K

47.09%

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

$30.1K A$43.3K

$17.1K ¥114.5K

75.93%

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

$223 A$320

$44.55 ¥298

399.66%

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

$27.16 A$39.03

$9.76 ¥65.2

178.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.2

$11.85 ¥79.2

371.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$41.44 ¥277

80.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.48

$13.68 ¥91.4

75.37%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.24

$5.81 ¥38.84

202.24%

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

$2,196 A$3,156

$332 ¥2,217

561.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.5K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

70.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$43.96 ¥294

78.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.4

$30.02 ¥201

127.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$70.7 ¥472

57.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$71.1 ¥475

89.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,593

$275 ¥1,839

808.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,456

$195 ¥1,306

774.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,107

$583 ¥3,899

747.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,343

$367 ¥2,455

722.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,029 ¥20.2K

334.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$2,026 ¥13.5K

313.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,911

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.89

50.13%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dongying: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Dongying

$195 27.3% 88.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Dongying

$198 27.7% 47.7% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Dongying

$66 9.3% 78.3% $239

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Dongying

$85 11.8% 71.7% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Dongying

$97 13.6% 45% $80

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Dongying

$21 3% 87.8% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Dongying

$53 7.4% 51.6% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $275 in Dongying. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $97.0 in Sydney vs $22.00 in Dongying for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $199 per month, with Dongying cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Dongying

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

18:31 6:31 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

2,035,300

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Dongying 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Dongying: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongying is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 351% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,774 in Sydney and $1,058 in Dongying to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,514 in Sydney versus $275 in Dongying. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,157 in Sydney versus $336 in Dongying. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $705 in Dongying versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongying but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Dongying 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 Dongying 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 Dongying gentler on the wallet – expenses run 351% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.