Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Putian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,245 in Sydney versus $518 in Putian.

Sydney $3,245
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,803 in Sydney versus $854 in Putian.

Sydney $4,803
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,362 in Sydney versus $1,190 in Putian.

Sydney $6,362
Putian $1,190

Living in Sydney is roughly 526% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 139% above, Putian is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.21 ¥14.79

687.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$23.26 ¥156

288.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$5.17 ¥34.57

130.56%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.44 ¥16.32

65.16%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.43 ¥2.88

569.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.29 ¥1.92

668.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$0.77 ¥5.16

924.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$2.93 ¥19.58

131.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.47 ¥9.82

16.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.25 ¥15.07

30.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.93 ¥6.19

169.89%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.58 ¥10.58

251.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$11.73 ¥78.4

0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$2.43 ¥16.22

281.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$12.18 ¥81.4

37.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$2.55 ¥17.03

53.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.42 ¥9.49

122.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$1.70 ¥11.34

104.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.98 ¥13.25

121.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$1.02 ¥6.79

226.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.77 ¥11.86

35.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.93 ¥6.19

148.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.50 ¥3.36

130.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$3.04 ¥20.31

1358.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$11.18 ¥74.8

22.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.83 ¥5.58

381.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.71 ¥11.44

135.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.74 ¥4.92

335.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$22.38 ¥150

588.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.52 ¥10.16

134.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.29 ¥1.94

444.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$7.02 ¥46.94

461.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.31 ¥8.76

12.98%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

52.22%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

55.67%

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

$241 A$347

$44.03 ¥294

448.22%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$8.87 ¥59.3

210.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$10.55 ¥70.6

433.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$10.08 ¥67.4

74.11%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$492 ¥3,286

344.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

13.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$39.10 ¥261

104.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$29.11 ¥195

142.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$103 ¥691

7.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$85.7 ¥573

51.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$2,637 ¥17.6K

408.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$1,115 ¥7,452

651.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$480 ¥3,211

748.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.46

71.10%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Putian

$215 41.6% 43.1% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Putian

$63 12.3% 80.5% $262

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Putian

$75 14.5% 74.7% $222

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Putian

$28 5.5% 84.1% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Putian

$116 22.4% 34.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 82.2% $93

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Sydney pays 748% 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: $90.0 in Sydney vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,954,000

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Sydney Putian 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 526% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 748% higher in Sydney, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,185 in Sydney versus $492 in Putian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Putian 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 Putian 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 Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 526% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.