Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $513 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
Learn more

Jiangmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Jiangmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $513 in Jiangmen.

Sydney $3,152
Jiangmen $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $998 in Jiangmen.

Sydney $4,710
Jiangmen $998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,483 in Jiangmen.

Sydney $6,268
Jiangmen $1,483

Living in Sydney is roughly 514% more expensive than in Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Jiangmen is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.29 ¥21.97

434.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$30.07 ¥201

204.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.31 ¥35.49

125.24%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.30 ¥15.38

76.96%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.43 ¥2.87

562.79%

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

$0.91 ¥6.09

735.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.46 ¥9.79

408.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.60 ¥10.71

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.63 ¥10.89

70.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$1.07 ¥7.12

126.17%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.77 ¥11.86

218.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$21.48 ¥144

-45.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$2.28 ¥15.27

323.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$13.38 ¥89.5

25.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.16 ¥14.47

88.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$0.89 ¥5.94

265.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.17 ¥7.80

194.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.43 ¥9.57

199.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.64 ¥4.28

412.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.93 ¥6.25

147.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.29 ¥1.93

693.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.55 ¥3.65

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.06 ¥20.45

1328.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$12.19 ¥81.5

13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.69 ¥4.63

465.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.76 ¥11.74

122.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.44 ¥2.93

590.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.41 ¥9.41

139.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.39 ¥2.60

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$7.09 ¥47.43

464.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.34 ¥8.97

4.48%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.8K ¥132.2K

47.27%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

82.28%

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

$223 A$320

$49.45 ¥331

350.15%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$8.60 ¥57.5

215.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$12.27 ¥82.1

354.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$30.28 ¥202

146.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$4.51 ¥30.19

431.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$6.49 ¥43.40

170.57%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$251 ¥1,676

775.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$7,533 ¥50.4K

274.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$30.21 ¥202

159.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$39.86 ¥266

71.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$72.5 ¥485

53.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$44.20 ¥296

204.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$444 ¥2,968

1014.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$273 ¥1,826

1006.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$6,098 ¥40.8K

115.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,223 ¥8,178

584.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$592 ¥3,957

595.07%

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 Jiangmen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Jiangmen

$230 44.9% 39.1% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Jiangmen

$70 13.7% 77% $235

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Jiangmen

$80 15.6% 73.1% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Jiangmen

$84 16.4% 52.4% $93

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Jiangmen

$5.1 * 1% 97.1% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 60.6% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Sydney pays 595% 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 $30.00 in Jiangmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $230 per month, with Jiangmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,448,871

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Jiangmen 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Jiangmen

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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Jiangmen differ by about 514% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $513 including rent). Jiangmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 595% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $251 in Jiangmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiangmen – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $513 in Jiangmen versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 514% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.