Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $750 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Nantong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $750 in Nantong.

Sydney $3,152
Nantong $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,237 in Nantong.

Sydney $4,710
Nantong $1,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,725 in Nantong.

Sydney $6,268
Nantong $1,725

Living in Sydney is roughly 320% more expensive than in Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Nantong is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.01 ¥20.15

483.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$23.57 ¥158

288.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.43 ¥29.64

169.98%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.79 ¥18.69

45.88%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.63 ¥4.23

352.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.33 ¥2.23

581.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$0.72 ¥4.84

955.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.18 ¥14.56

240.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.61 ¥10.76

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.52 ¥10.19

82.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.79 ¥5.26

206.33%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.73 ¥11.55

226.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$6.67 ¥44.59

75.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.69 ¥24.66

161.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$10.37 ¥69.3

61.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.30 ¥15.37

76.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.40 ¥9.34

132.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.52 ¥10.14

126.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.46 ¥9.78

193.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.67 ¥4.51

389.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.90 ¥6.04

155.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.67 ¥4.46

243.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.50 ¥3.37

142.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.44 ¥23.00

1170.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$9.14 ¥61.1

51.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.74 ¥4.97

427.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.65 ¥11.06

136.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.21 ¥1.40

1347.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$14.73 ¥98.5

919.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.93 ¥12.89

75.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.38 ¥2.55

310.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$7.00 ¥46.78

471.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.21 ¥8.07

15.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.6K ¥131.1K

48.50%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$18.8K ¥125.8K

60.13%

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

$223 A$320

$47.85 ¥320

365.20%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$7.48 ¥50.0

263.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$14.96 ¥100

273.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$114 ¥763

-34.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$11.96 ¥80.0

100.59%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$7.68 ¥51.3

128.65%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$203 ¥1,356

983.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$12.0K ¥80.1K

135.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$58.0 ¥388

35.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$42.62 ¥285

60.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$66.3 ¥443

67.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$110 ¥736

22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$213 ¥1,422

1075.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$142 ¥946

1107.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$696 ¥4,656

610.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$354 ¥2,367

753.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,720 ¥24.9K

254.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$2,249 ¥15.0K

272.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,289 ¥8,622

218.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.5

66.86%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nantong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Nantong

$142 18.9% 91.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 51.9% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 77% $235

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Nantong

$83 11% 72.3% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Nantong

$125 16.6% 29.4% $52

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 88.8% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Nantong

$130 17.3% 18% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $213 in Nantong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 219% 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 $24.00 in Nantong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $182 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

7,726,635

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Nantong 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Nantong differ by about 320% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $750 including rent). Nantong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 219% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,500 in Sydney versus $213 in Nantong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $203 in Nantong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $750 in Nantong versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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 Nantong 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 Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 320% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.