Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Shaoxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $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
37

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Shaoxing

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

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

Sydney $3,152
Shaoxing $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,202 in Shaoxing.

Sydney $4,710
Shaoxing $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,655 in Shaoxing.

Sydney $6,268
Shaoxing $1,655

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$3.64 ¥24.31

382.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$22.73 ¥152

302.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.38 ¥35.97

122.30%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.56 ¥17.11

58.98%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.57 ¥3.84

400.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.36 ¥2.38

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.10 ¥7.35

590.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$2.19 ¥14.62

239.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.77 ¥11.84

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.03 ¥13.55

36.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.79 ¥5.26

206.33%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.67 ¥11.16

237.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$11.66 ¥78.0

0.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.24 ¥21.66

198.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$10.25 ¥68.6

63.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.72 ¥11.52

136.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.65 ¥11.06

96.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.64 ¥10.97

109.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.05 ¥7.02

307.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.82 ¥5.45

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.89 ¥5.95

158.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.61 ¥4.11

277.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.60 ¥3.99

101.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.39 ¥22.67

1189.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$10.42 ¥69.7

33.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.75 ¥4.98

420.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.60 ¥10.67

144.38%

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

$19.93 ¥133

653.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.90 ¥12.68

77.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.43 ¥2.87

262.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$8.87 ¥59.3

351.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.35 ¥9.01

3.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.5K ¥130.1K

49.64%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$18.9K ¥126.3K

59.48%

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

$223 A$320

$46.75 ¥313

376.15%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$7.90 ¥52.8

243.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$9.08 ¥60.7

514.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$15.75 ¥105

373.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$6.91 ¥46.21

247.18%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$6.87 ¥45.92

155.60%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$834 ¥5,574

163.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$24.8K ¥165.6K

13.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$39.20 ¥262

100.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$30.88 ¥206

121.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$76.5 ¥511

45.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$108 ¥721

24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$428 ¥2,861

484.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$226 ¥1,512

656.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$609 ¥4,069

712.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$456 ¥3,047

563.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$6,275 ¥42.0K

109.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$3,564 ¥23.8K

134.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

$898 ¥6,005

358.02%

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 Shaoxing: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Shaoxing

$226 30.2% 86.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Shaoxing

$202 26.9% 46.7% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Shaoxing

$64 8.5% 79.1% $242

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Shaoxing

$90 11.9% 70% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Shaoxing

$114 15.3% 35.2% $62

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Shaoxing

$25 3.3% 85.7% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Shaoxing

$29 3.9% 73.1% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $428 in Shaoxing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 358% 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 $23.00 in Shaoxing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $202 per month, with Shaoxing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

15:17 3:17 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,912,239

💱 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 Shaoxing 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 358% 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 $428 in Shaoxing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $834 in Shaoxing. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $750 in Shaoxing versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shaoxing but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing 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.