Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,134 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Shenzhen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $1,134 in Shenzhen.

Sydney $3,182
Shenzhen $1,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,734 in Shenzhen.

Sydney $4,696
Shenzhen $1,734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $2,333 in Shenzhen.

Sydney $6,210
Shenzhen $2,333

Living in Sydney is roughly 181% more expensive than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Shenzhen is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$3.64 ¥24.33

385.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$29.70 ¥199

226.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.12 ¥34.18

133.20%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.21 ¥21.47

24.61%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.59 ¥3.91

381.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.33 ¥2.19

587.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$1.48 ¥9.88

433.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$2.24 ¥14.98

218.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.55 ¥10.39

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.64 ¥10.97

70.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.09 ¥7.29

112.84%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.76 ¥11.78

214.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$20.95 ¥140

-42.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$3.38 ¥22.62

191.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$14.38 ¥96.1

15.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.31 ¥15.47

74.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.60 ¥10.70

96.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.89 ¥12.61

85.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$1.41 ¥9.44

217.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$1.07 ¥7.16

210.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.24 ¥8.28

85.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.59 ¥3.95

296.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.59 ¥3.97

94.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$4.54 ¥30.35

891.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$11.82 ¥79.0

18.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$0.92 ¥6.16

332.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.76 ¥11.76

131.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.59 ¥3.92

435.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$21.95 ¥147

583.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.46 ¥9.75

136.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.38 ¥2.55

328.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$7.13 ¥47.67

460.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.35 ¥9.05

3.70%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$19.3K ¥129.3K

46.90%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$18.6K ¥124.2K

58.26%

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

$220 A$315

$63.8 ¥426

244.71%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$10.04 ¥67.1

175.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$16.28 ¥109

241.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$50.3 ¥336

47.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$17.02 ¥114

40.72%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$7.28 ¥48.63

143.54%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$523 ¥3,496

312.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$23.8K ¥159.1K

18.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$55.1 ¥368

42.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$40.53 ¥271

74.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$72.0 ¥481

54.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$92.4 ¥617

42.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$764 ¥5,103

229.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$485 ¥3,238

257.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$1,941 ¥13.0K

151.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$845 ¥5,650

259.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$14.0K ¥93.7K

-5.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$6,137 ¥41.0K

32.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$1,693 ¥11.3K

141.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.35

74.33%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Shenzhen

$484 42.8% 72% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Shenzhen

$249 22% 34.5% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Shenzhen

$90 8% 70.3% $213

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Shenzhen

$99 8.7% 67.1% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 33.7% $59

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Shenzhen

$28 2.4% 84.1% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 40.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $764 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 141% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $249 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Sydney Shenzhen 7,400 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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen wins on cost – living expenses run 181% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shenzhen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 141% 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $764 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shenzhen runs roughly 583% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,157 in Sydney versus $523 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenzhen but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 181% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.