Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Huainan

For one person, living is cheaper in Huainan: $709 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Huainan
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Huainan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Huainan

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Huainan

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

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $709 in Huainan, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
Huainan $709

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,128 in Huainan, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Huainan $1,128

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,547 in Huainan, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Huainan $1,547

Sydney costs about 357% more than Huainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while Huainan is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.75 ¥18.40

533.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$21.99 ¥147

310.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$4.85 ¥32.42

145.77%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$3.07 ¥20.52

31.27%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.43 ¥2.90

569.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.29 ¥1.95

668.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$0.89 ¥5.94

786.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$2.06 ¥13.76

229.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.87 ¥12.53

-8.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.54 ¥10.30

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.89 ¥5.97

182.02%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.53 ¥10.26

262.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$12.69 ¥84.9

-7.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$3.20 ¥21.40

190.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$10.18 ¥68.1

64.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$1.81 ¥12.11

116.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.19 ¥7.98

165.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$1.49 ¥9.95

133.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.13 ¥7.58

287.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$0.75 ¥4.99

344.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$0.90 ¥6.00

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.57 ¥3.78

305.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.55 ¥3.68

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$3.04 ¥20.30

1358.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$10.69 ¥71.5

28.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.81 ¥5.40

393.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.65 ¥11.00

144.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.27 ¥1.78

1092.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$16.86 ¥113

814.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.40 ¥9.36

155.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.33 ¥2.20

378.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$6.83 ¥45.67

477.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.13 ¥7.57

30.97%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

54.10%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

57.76%

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

$241 A$347

$44.28 ¥296

445.12%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$9.75 ¥65.2

182.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$11.50 ¥76.9

389.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$41.29 ¥276

89.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$13.84 ¥92.6

68.06%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$5.95 ¥39.77

194.96%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$339 ¥2,264

545.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$16.7K ¥111.9K

66.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$43.55 ¥291

83.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$30.55 ¥204

131.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$71.4 ¥477

54.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$71.9 ¥480

80.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$276 ¥1,847

796.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$189 ¥1,264

840.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$592 ¥3,959

725.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$358 ¥2,394

763.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$3,030 ¥20.3K

342.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$2,034 ¥13.6K

311.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.89

52.19%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Huainan: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Huainan

$189 26.7% 89.4% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Huainan

$198 27.9% 47.7% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Huainan

$66 9.2% 79.9% $260

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Huainan

$85 12% 71.4% $212

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Huainan

$21 3% 88.2% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Huainan

$98 13.8% 44.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Huainan

$53 7.5% 53% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $276 in Huainan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Sydney versus $22.00 in Huainan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $198 – making Huainan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Huainan

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,033,528

💱 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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Between locations

Sydney Huainan 8,210 km ≈ 11 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 Huainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 357%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,867 per month in Sydney and $1,064 in Huainan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huainan, 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 $90.0 in Sydney and $22.00 in Huainan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,245 in Sydney and $709 in Huainan. That's a gap of about 357%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Huainan, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Huainan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Huainan – 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 Huainan. 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.