Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Rizhao

For one person, living is cheaper in Rizhao: $667 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Rizhao
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Rizhao Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Rizhao

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Rizhao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $667 in Rizhao.

Sydney $3,152
Rizhao $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,077 in Rizhao.

Sydney $4,710
Rizhao $1,077

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,487 in Rizhao.

Sydney $6,268
Rizhao $1,487

Living in Sydney is roughly 373% more expensive than in Rizhao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Rizhao is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.54 ¥16.95

591.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$19.14 ¥128

377.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$4.82 ¥32.21

148.13%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.95 ¥13.05

108.72%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.46 ¥3.10

519.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.23 ¥1.54

878.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$0.88 ¥5.87

763.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.98 ¥13.21

275.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.46 ¥9.78

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.48 ¥9.87

87.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.46 ¥3.08

426.09%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.07 ¥7.14

427.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$11.73 ¥78.4

-0.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.34 ¥22.32

189.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$11.35 ¥75.9

47.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.46 ¥9.78

178.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.02 ¥6.81

218.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$0.77 ¥5.17

346.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.14 ¥7.65

275.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.58 ¥3.87

465.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.68 ¥4.57

238.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.58 ¥3.85

296.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.63 ¥4.19

92.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.66 ¥24.45

1094.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$9.99 ¥66.8

38.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.72 ¥4.81

441.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.36 ¥9.08

187.50%

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

$17.44 ¥117

761.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.23 ¥8.20

174.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.25 ¥1.67

524.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$4.52 ¥30.21

785.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.19 ¥7.92

17.65%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

52.58%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$14.8K ¥99.1K

103.28%

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

$223 A$320

$73.5 ¥491

202.86%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$6.63 ¥44.30

309.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$5.18 ¥34.65

977.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$36.51 ¥244

104.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$13.25 ¥88.6

81.06%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.36 ¥35.87

227.61%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$218 ¥1,458

906.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

42.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$34.08 ¥228

130.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$43.15 ¥289

58.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$71.2 ¥476

56.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$69.4 ¥464

93.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$299 ¥1,999

736.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$163 ¥1,090

948.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$623 ¥4,167

693.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$375 ¥2,505

706.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,578 ¥23.9K

268.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$2,144 ¥14.3K

290.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.13

86.58%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rizhao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Rizhao

$163 24.4% 90.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Rizhao

$183 27.4% 51.7% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Rizhao

$85 12.8% 72.1% $220

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Rizhao

$69 10.4% 76.8% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Rizhao

$98 14.7% 44.5% $79

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Rizhao

$21 3.2% 87.9% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Rizhao

$47 7.1% 57% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $299 in Rizhao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91.0 in Sydney vs $19.00 in Rizhao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $183 per month, with Rizhao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Rizhao

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,143,000

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Sydney Rizhao 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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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 Rizhao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sydney and Rizhao differ by about 373% in total monthly costs ($3,152 vs $667 including rent). Rizhao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,728 in Sydney and $1,000 in Rizhao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,500 in Sydney versus $299 in Rizhao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rizhao – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $91.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,152 per month in Sydney versus $667 in Rizhao – a 373% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $667 in Rizhao versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rizhao but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Rizhao 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 Rizhao 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 Rizhao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 373% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.