Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Mudanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $758 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mudanjiang
Learn more

Mudanjiang Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Mudanjiang

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $758 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Mudanjiang $758

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,192 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Mudanjiang $1,192

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,627 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Mudanjiang $1,627

Sydney costs about 316% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Mudanjiang is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.00 ¥20.09

485.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$13.67 ¥91.4

569.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$6.08 ¥40.67

96.71%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.69 ¥18.00

51.30%

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

$0.34 ¥2.25

561.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.04 ¥6.98

630.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.05 ¥13.70

262.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.84 ¥12.29

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.59 ¥10.62

74.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.92 ¥6.18

163.04%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.62 ¥10.82

248.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$11.77 ¥78.7

-0.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.41 ¥22.78

183.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$11.24 ¥75.2

49.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.90 ¥12.69

114.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.28 ¥8.56

153.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.50 ¥10.01

129.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.40 ¥9.33

205.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.73 ¥4.87

349.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.94 ¥6.31

144.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.60 ¥4.00

283.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.59 ¥3.93

105.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.53 ¥23.61

1138.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$11.48 ¥76.8

20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.88 ¥5.85

343.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.47 ¥9.84

165.99%

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

$18.98 ¥127

691.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.42 ¥9.49

138.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.35 ¥2.32

345.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$6.34 ¥42.40

531.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.45 ¥9.68

-3.45%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$20.0K ¥133.6K

45.78%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$16.1K ¥107.7K

87.04%

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

$223 A$320

$57.8 ¥387

284.99%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$9.32 ¥62.3

191.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$11.00 ¥73.5

407.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$40.45 ¥270

84.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$14.75 ¥98.6

62.64%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$6.26 ¥41.83

180.51%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$375 ¥2,510

484.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$17.3K ¥115.7K

62.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$42.02 ¥281

86.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$38.37 ¥257

78.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$78.1 ¥522

42.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$82.0 ¥548

63.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$310 ¥2,076

705.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$204 ¥1,364

737.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$686 ¥4,589

620.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$421 ¥2,815

617.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,884 ¥26.0K

239.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,996 ¥13.3K

319.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

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 Mudanjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Mudanjiang

$204 26.9% 88.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Mudanjiang

$204 27% 46% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Mudanjiang

$78 10.3% 74.4% $227

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Mudanjiang

$87 11.5% 70.9% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Mudanjiang

$108 14.3% 38.7% $68

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Mudanjiang

$23 3.1% 86.6% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Mudanjiang

$53 7% 51.7% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $310 in Mudanjiang. 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 $91.0 in Sydney versus $14.00 in Mudanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $204 – making Mudanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

965,154

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Mudanjiang 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Mudanjiang

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 Mudanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney costs about 316% more than Mudanjiang, 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 $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,137 in Mudanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $758 in Mudanjiang. That's a gap of about 316%.

Public transport costs about 692% less in Mudanjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mudanjiang, where all-in costs run around $758, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Mudanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mudanjiang – 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 Mudanjiang. 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.