Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $707 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $707

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,185 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,185

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,663 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,663

Sydney costs about 345% more than Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.17

$3.83 ¥25.64

358.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$26.02 ¥174

251.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.13

$4.57 ¥30.58

161.71%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.83

$3.17 ¥21.21

28.39%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.48 ¥3.23

493.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.31 ¥2.04

625.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.89

$0.93 ¥6.22

717.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.64

$1.47 ¥9.80

405.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.37

$1.79 ¥11.98

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.99

$1.18 ¥7.91

135.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.47

$0.87 ¥5.85

178.16%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.08

$2.07 ¥13.85

172.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.78

$19.53 ¥131

-40.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.83

$3.69 ¥24.70

161.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.00

$6.16 ¥41.17

171.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.33 ¥15.56

74.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.66

$1.38 ¥9.25

135.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.93

$1.47 ¥9.81

134.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.13

$1.31 ¥8.74

226.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.69

$0.87 ¥5.79

277.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.86 ¥5.77

167.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.62 ¥4.18

270.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.54 ¥3.60

124.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.6

$3.57 ¥23.90

1124.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.88

$13.36 ¥89.3

3.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$0.75 ¥5.01

420.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.60

$1.45 ¥9.68

169.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.31 ¥2.08

880.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$19.88 ¥133

655.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.97 ¥13.20

71.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$0.38 ¥2.55

310.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.3

$7.03 ¥47.00

469.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.21 ¥8.12

15.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.7K

$18.1K ¥121.2K

60.67%

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

$30.1K A$43.2K

$17.9K ¥119.7K

68.31%

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

$223 A$319

$18.76 ¥125

1086.57%

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

$27.16 A$38.91

$10.11 ¥67.6

168.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.0

$11.07 ¥74.0

404.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$60.8 ¥407

22.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

$16.34 ¥109

46.82%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.16

$7.45 ¥49.80

135.70%

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

$2,196 A$3,146

$301 ¥2,015

628.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.4K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

58.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$45.01 ¥301

74.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.0

$41.36 ¥277

65.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$60.5 ¥404

83.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$58.6 ¥392

129.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,582

$256 ¥1,715

874.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,449

$165 ¥1,105

934.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,085

$631 ¥4,217

684.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,329

$379 ¥2,535

697.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,912 ¥19.5K

352.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,953 ¥13.1K

328.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,893

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.5

66.86%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$165 23.4% 90.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 42.9% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.7% 86.9% $266

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.2% 68.8% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13.1% 47.7% $84

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$25 3.5% 85.6% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$76 10.7% 31% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney versus $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $216 – making Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

831,113

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu – roughly 345% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,061 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. That's a gap of about 345%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.