Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $659 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Guilin

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $659 in Guilin, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Guilin $659

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,058 in Guilin, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Guilin $1,058

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,457 in Guilin, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Guilin $1,457

Sydney costs about 378% more than Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Guilin is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.22 ¥14.85

691.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$15.16 ¥101

503.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$3.05 ¥20.39

292.13%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.14 ¥14.32

90.19%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.42 ¥2.81

578.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.31 ¥2.08

625.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$0.81 ¥5.40

838.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.14 ¥14.33

247.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.46 ¥9.77

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.25 ¥8.38

122.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.62 ¥4.16

290.32%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.83 ¥12.26

208.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$13.25 ¥88.6

-11.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.42 ¥22.86

182.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$11.19 ¥74.8

49.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.46 ¥9.74

178.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.18 ¥7.90

175.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.04 ¥6.92

230.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$0.94 ¥6.28

355.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.73 ¥4.90

349.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.88 ¥5.89

161.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.69 ¥4.60

233.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.43 ¥2.91

181.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.75 ¥25.10

1065.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$13.16 ¥88.0

5.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.84 ¥5.63

364.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.45 ¥9.67

169.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.29 ¥1.91

948.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$17.97 ¥120

736.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.31 ¥8.73

158.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.29 ¥1.94

437.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$7.79 ¥52.1

413.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.21 ¥8.10

15.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.2K ¥128.5K

51.49%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$17.4K ¥116.4K

73.01%

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

$223 A$320

$24.59 ¥164

805.25%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$4.89 ¥32.69

455.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$11.49 ¥76.8

385.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$41.59 ¥278

79.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$14.65 ¥98.0

63.75%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.33 ¥35.63

229.46%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$407 ¥2,719

440.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$15.8K ¥105.5K

78.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$43.52 ¥291

80.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$31.64 ¥212

116.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$75.2 ¥503

47.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$74.2 ¥496

81.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$294 ¥1,967

749.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$183 ¥1,226

831.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$624 ¥4,173

692.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$372 ¥2,486

712.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$1,334 ¥8,916

887.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

322.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$497 ¥3,322

727.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.36

73.81%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Guilin

$183 27.8% 89.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Guilin

$196 29.7% 48.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Guilin

$41 6.2% 86.6% $265

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Guilin

$64 9.7% 78.6% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Guilin

$101 15.3% 42.8% $76

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Guilin

$22 3.3% 87.4% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Guilin

$52 7.9% 52.4% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $294 in Guilin. 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 728% 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 $91.0 in Sydney versus $15.00 in Guilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $196 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,931,137

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Guilin 7,870 km ≈ 10 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 Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 378%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $989 in Guilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $15.00 in Guilin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $659 in Guilin. That's a gap of about 378%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guilin, where all-in costs run around $659, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Guilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guilin – 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 Guilin. 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.