Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Maoming

For one person, living is cheaper in Maoming: $720 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 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 Maoming
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Maoming Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Maoming

🇨🇳 China

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Maoming

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

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

Sydney $3,245
Maoming $709

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,137 in Maoming, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Maoming $1,137

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,566 in Maoming, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Maoming $1,566

Sydney costs about 358% more than Maoming, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.66 ¥17.80

554.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$22.64 ¥151

298.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$4.01 ¥26.82

197.26%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.74 ¥18.33

47.08%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.51 ¥3.41

464.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.31 ¥2.08

619.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$1.10 ¥7.36

617.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$2.05 ¥13.70

230.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.76 ¥11.74

-2.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.59 ¥10.65

84.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.01 ¥6.75

148.51%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.66 ¥11.13

234.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$13.37 ¥89.4

-11.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$3.34 ¥22.31

177.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$11.08 ¥74.1

50.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$1.83 ¥12.24

114.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.26 ¥8.44

150.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$1.56 ¥10.41

123.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.33 ¥8.88

229.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$0.74 ¥4.94

350.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$0.96 ¥6.45

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.60 ¥3.98

285.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.55 ¥3.69

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$3.78 ¥25.29

1073.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$11.67 ¥78.0

17.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.86 ¥5.78

365.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.54 ¥10.27

161.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.31 ¥2.08

938.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$18.19 ¥122

747.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.47 ¥9.82

142.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.32 ¥2.16

393.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$7.13 ¥47.64

453.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.25 ¥8.34

18.40%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.5K ¥130.3K

51.60%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$17.4K ¥116.6K

58.65%

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

$241 A$347

$57.9 ¥387

316.89%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$8.59 ¥57.5

220.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$11.19 ¥74.8

403.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$32.99 ¥221

136.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$14.65 ¥97.9

58.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$6.50 ¥43.44

170.00%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$418 ¥2,796

422.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$17.3K ¥115.9K

60.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$43.78 ¥293

82.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$34.05 ¥228

107.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$74.2 ¥496

49.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$74.2 ¥496

74.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$295 ¥1,975

738.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$185 ¥1,239

859.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$637 ¥4,261

666.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$370 ¥2,475

735.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$3,530 ¥23.6K

279.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$1,949 ¥13.0K

329.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$1,046 ¥6,996

289.34%

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 Maoming: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Maoming

$185 25.7% 89.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Maoming

$208 28.8% 45.1% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Maoming

$78 10.8% 76.1% $248

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Maoming

$79 11% 73.4% $218

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Maoming

$23 3.1% 87.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Maoming

$102 14.1% 42.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Maoming

$46 6.4% 59.4% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $257 in Maoming. 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 297% 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 $24.00 in Maoming. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $212 – making Maoming the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Maoming

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,217,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Sydney Maoming 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 Maoming: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sydney is pricier by about 358%, 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 Maoming. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 78% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Sydney and $24.00 in Maoming. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

Families tend to lean toward Maoming – 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 Maoming. 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.