Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $678 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 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 Shijiazhuang
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Shijiazhuang Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Shijiazhuang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,152 in Sydney versus $678 in Shijiazhuang.

Sydney $3,152
Shijiazhuang $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,710 in Sydney versus $1,015 in Shijiazhuang.

Sydney $4,710
Shijiazhuang $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,268 in Sydney versus $1,353 in Shijiazhuang.

Sydney $6,268
Shijiazhuang $1,353

Living in Sydney is roughly 365% more expensive than in Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 133% above, Shijiazhuang is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.17

$1.78 ¥11.90

887.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$18.80 ¥126

386.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.13

$5.46 ¥36.50

119.05%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.83

$3.22 ¥21.51

26.40%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.47 ¥3.14

506.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.27 ¥1.82

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.89

$0.80 ¥5.34

850.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.64

$1.70 ¥11.35

337.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.37

$1.32 ¥8.86

25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.99

$1.14 ¥7.59

143.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.47

$0.70 ¥4.65

245.71%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.08

$1.23 ¥8.25

358.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.78

$16.09 ¥108

-27.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.83

$2.76 ¥18.46

250.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.00

$9.42 ¥63.0

77.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.83

$1.63 ¥10.90

149.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.66

$1.24 ¥8.26

162.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.93

$0.77 ¥5.18

346.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.13

$1.22 ¥8.15

250.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.69

$0.59 ¥3.92

455.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.58 ¥3.89

296.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.63 ¥4.23

265.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.46 ¥3.09

163.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.6

$3.81 ¥25.46

1047.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.88

$3.68 ¥24.64

277.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$0.72 ¥4.84

441.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.60

$0.73 ¥4.87

435.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.31 ¥2.10

880.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$17.78 ¥119

744.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.17 ¥7.80

188.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$0.35 ¥2.34

345.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.3

$3.49 ¥23.36

1046.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.24 ¥8.29

12.90%

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

$29.1K A$41.7K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

47.79%

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

$30.1K A$43.2K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

76.96%

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

$223 A$319

$93.9 ¥628

137.04%

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

$27.16 A$38.91

$4.40 ¥29.45

517.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.0

$6.63 ¥44.35

741.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$13.96 ¥93.4

434.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

$14.76 ¥98.7

62.53%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.16

$5.52 ¥36.93

218.12%

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

$2,196 A$3,146

$377 ¥2,519

482.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.4K

$5,226 ¥35.0K

439.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$49.51 ¥331

58.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.0

$26.52 ¥177

158.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$75.5 ¥505

47.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$54.8 ¥366

145.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,582

$302 ¥2,019

727.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,449

$183 ¥1,222

835.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,085

$408 ¥2,729

1111.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,329

$276 ¥1,848

993.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,499 ¥16.7K

426.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,670 ¥11.2K

401.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,893

$801 ¥5,357

413.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.31

76.44%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Shijiazhuang

$183 27% 89.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Shijiazhuang

$171 25.2% 54.9% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Shijiazhuang

$105 15.5% 65.7% $201

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Shijiazhuang

$80 11.7% 73.4% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Shijiazhuang

$93 13.7% 47.4% $84

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 87.4% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.7% 77.2% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,500 in Sydney and $302 in Shijiazhuang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 414% 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 $19.00 in Shijiazhuang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $171 per month, with Shijiazhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

19:10 7:10 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

11,235,086

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 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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Between locations

Sydney Shijiazhuang 8,850 km ≈ 12 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 Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shijiazhuang wins on cost – living expenses run 365% lower than in Sydney. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shijiazhuang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 414% 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 $302 in Shijiazhuang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shijiazhuang runs roughly 745% less than in Sydney. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,196 in Sydney versus $377 in Shijiazhuang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $678 in Shijiazhuang versus $3,152 in Sydney, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shijiazhuang but tight or insufficient in Sydney. The gap between the two cities makes Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 365% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.