Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Guangzhou (Canton) $924

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $1,438 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,438

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $1,953 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,953

Sydney costs about 245% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 137% above the global median, while Guangzhou (Canton) is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$3.02 ¥20.21

484.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$29.67 ¥198

227.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.32 ¥35.53

124.44%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.97 ¥19.83

34.68%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.58 ¥3.89

389.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.37 ¥2.49

513.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$1.17 ¥7.79

574.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$2.75 ¥18.41

159.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.91 ¥12.75

-13.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.83 ¥12.23

52.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.09 ¥7.30

112.84%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.52 ¥10.14

263.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$16.76 ¥112

-27.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$4.95 ¥33.07

98.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$12.20 ¥81.5

36.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.25 ¥15.04

78.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.23 ¥8.19

156.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.47 ¥9.82

138.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$1.78 ¥11.89

151.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$1.03 ¥6.86

222.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.17 ¥7.84

96.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.83 ¥5.56

181.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.65 ¥4.33

76.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$3.88 ¥25.93

1060.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$10.85 ¥72.5

28.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$1.05 ¥7.05

279.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.89 ¥12.61

115.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.47 ¥3.11

572.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$22.21 ¥148

575.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.83 ¥12.23

88.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.40 ¥2.69

307.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$7.02 ¥46.90

469.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.31 ¥8.75

6.87%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

48.11%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$17.6K ¥117.5K

67.18%

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

$220 A$315

$60.0 ¥401

266.24%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$16.00 ¥107

73.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$14.46 ¥96.6

284.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$68.9 ¥460

7.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$12.04 ¥80.4

98.92%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$6.57 ¥43.94

169.86%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$1,471 ¥9,831

46.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$24.2K ¥161.5K

17.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$48.75 ¥326

60.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$41.61 ¥278

69.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$81.5 ¥545

36.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$70.4 ¥471

87.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$542 ¥3,623

363.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$276 ¥1,842

528.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$1,343 ¥8,974

264.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$472 ¥3,157

543.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$8,553 ¥57.2K

54.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$3,459 ¥23.1K

134.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$1,265 ¥8,452

222.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.4

71.76%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30.1% 84.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$240 26.2% 36.9% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$90 9.9% 70.1% $213

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9% 69.6% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 11.9% 38.2% $67

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3.1% 84% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$82 9% 25.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $542 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 223% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97.0 in Sydney versus $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $240 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 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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Sydney Guangzhou (Canton) 7,500 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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 245% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $1,385 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,182 in Sydney and $924 in Guangzhou (Canton). That's a gap of about 245%.

Public transport costs about 575% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Guangzhou (Canton). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.