Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Ningbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $682 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
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Ningbo Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Ningbo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $682 in Ningbo.

Sydney $3,152
Ningbo $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,177 in Ningbo.

Sydney $4,710
Ningbo $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,672 in Ningbo.

Sydney $6,268
Ningbo $1,672

Living in Sydney is roughly 362% more expensive than in Ningbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Ningbo is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.91 ¥19.46

503.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$29.60 ¥198

209.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.58 ¥30.62

161.14%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$3.43 ¥22.93

18.66%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.47 ¥3.16

506.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.29 ¥1.92

675.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.04 ¥6.93

630.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$3.45 ¥23.04

115.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.78 ¥11.88

-6.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.16 ¥7.78

139.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.73 ¥4.86

231.51%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.62 ¥10.86

248.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$14.79 ¥98.9

-20.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.81 ¥25.45

153.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$8.83 ¥59.1

89.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.07 ¥7.18

280.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.52 ¥10.16

113.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.50 ¥10.06

129.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.18 ¥7.88

262.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.63 ¥4.21

420.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.75 ¥4.99

206.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.64 ¥4.27

259.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.54 ¥3.59

124.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$4.39 ¥29.33

895.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$8.00 ¥53.5

73.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.75 ¥5.04

420.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.42 ¥9.51

175.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.29 ¥1.93

948.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$16.16 ¥108

829.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.76 ¥11.78

92.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.37 ¥2.49

321.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$7.37 ¥49.29

442.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.28 ¥8.54

9.37%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.6K ¥131.4K

48.23%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$17.7K ¥118.0K

70.67%

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

$223 A$320

$51.9 ¥347

328.82%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$6.85 ¥45.78

296.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$7.93 ¥53.0

603.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$25.07 ¥168

197.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$14.69 ¥98.2

63.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$7.71 ¥51.6

127.76%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$929 ¥6,209

136.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$15.8K ¥105.8K

78.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$62.5 ¥418

25.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$27.09 ¥181

152.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$62.0 ¥414

79.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$52.4 ¥350

156.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$358 ¥2,392

598.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$179 ¥1,198

854.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$772 ¥5,162

540.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$482 ¥3,223

526.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,861 ¥25.8K

241.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$2,097 ¥14.0K

299.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$1,180 ¥7,892

248.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.18

83.65%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ningbo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Ningbo

$179 26.3% 89.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Ningbo

$190 27.9% 49.8% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Ningbo

$67 9.8% 78.2% $239

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Ningbo

$93 13.7% 68.8% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Ningbo

$92 13.5% 48% $85

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Ningbo

$21 3.1% 87.9% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Ningbo

$41 5.9% 63.1% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $358 in Ningbo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 248% 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 Ningbo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $190 per month, with Ningbo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

7,605,689

💱 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 →

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Sydney Ningbo 7,740 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 Ningbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ningbo wins on cost – living expenses run 362% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ningbo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 248% 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 $358 in Ningbo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $929 in Ningbo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $682 in Ningbo versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ningbo but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Ningbo 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 Ningbo 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 Ningbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 362% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.