Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Jilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Jilin

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

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $737 in Jilin, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
Jilin $737

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,185 in Jilin, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Jilin $1,185

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,633 in Jilin, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Jilin $1,633

Sydney costs about 340% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while Jilin is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.96 ¥19.79

488.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$22.66 ¥152

298.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$5.31 ¥35.51

124.48%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$3.46 ¥23.12

16.47%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.45 ¥2.98

540.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.25 ¥1.65

792.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$1.15 ¥7.69

586.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$2.26 ¥15.12

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.75 ¥11.67

-2.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.63 ¥10.92

80.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.93 ¥6.24

169.89%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.68 ¥11.21

230.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$13.07 ¥87.4

-9.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$3.40 ¥22.75

172.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$11.15 ¥74.6

49.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$1.80 ¥12.07

117.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.28 ¥8.55

146.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$1.57 ¥10.48

121.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.26 ¥8.42

247.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$0.70 ¥4.68

375.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$0.96 ¥6.44

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.63 ¥4.21

266.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.54 ¥3.62

112.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$3.81 ¥25.49

1063.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$11.76 ¥78.6

16.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.88 ¥5.92

354.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.62 ¥10.84

148.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.29 ¥1.91

1010.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$18.27 ¥122

743.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.08 ¥7.21

230.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.24 ¥1.59

558.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$7.08 ¥47.35

457.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.25 ¥8.38

18.40%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.7K ¥131.7K

50.04%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

60.92%

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

$241 A$347

$56.7 ¥379

325.94%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$8.74 ¥58.4

215.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$11.28 ¥75.4

399.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$42.47 ¥284

83.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$15.22 ¥102

52.83%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$6.30 ¥42.12

178.57%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$415 ¥2,774

426.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$17.4K ¥116.6K

59.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$43.23 ¥289

85.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$34.09 ¥228

107.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$73.9 ¥494

49.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$74.2 ¥496

74.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$297 ¥1,989

732.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$181 ¥1,208

883.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$635 ¥4,248

668.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$377 ¥2,517

721.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$3,419 ¥22.9K

292.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$1,956 ¥13.1K

328.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$451 ¥3,018

802.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.36

76.19%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Jilin

$181 24.5% 89.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Jilin

$207 28.2% 45.1% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Jilin

$77 10.4% 76.4% $249

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Jilin

$94 12.8% 68.3% $203

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Jilin

$22 2.9% 87.9% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Jilin

$101 13.8% 42.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Jilin

$55 7.5% 51.4% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $297 in Jilin. 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 802% 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 $90.0 in Sydney versus $23.00 in Jilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $207 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Jilin

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,623,713

💱 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 Jilin 9,000 km ≈ 12 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 Jilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 340% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,867 per month in Sydney and $1,106 in Jilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,185 per month in Sydney and $415 in Jilin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Sydney, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $737, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jilin – 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 Jilin. 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.