Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 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 Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Taizhou

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $774 in Taizhou, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Taizhou $774

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,257 in Taizhou, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Taizhou $1,257

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,740 in Taizhou, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Taizhou $1,740

Sydney costs about 307% more than Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Taizhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.17

$3.65 ¥24.42

381.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$25.57 ¥171

257.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.13

$4.51 ¥30.17

165.19%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.83

$3.47 ¥23.23

17.29%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.54 ¥3.59

427.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.29 ¥1.92

675.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.89

$1.23 ¥8.24

517.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.64

$2.21 ¥14.78

236.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.37

$1.82 ¥12.18

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.99

$1.62 ¥10.82

71.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.47

$0.54 ¥3.59

348.15%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.08

$1.23 ¥8.26

358.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.78

$19.41 ¥130

-39.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.83

$3.81 ¥25.50

153.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.00

$10.27 ¥68.7

63.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.83

$1.20 ¥8.00

239.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.66

$1.35 ¥9.03

140.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.93

$1.45 ¥9.73

137.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.13

$1.55 ¥10.37

176.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.69

$0.81 ¥5.40

304.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.97 ¥6.51

137.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.68 ¥4.52

238.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.55 ¥3.65

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.6

$4.04 ¥27.00

981.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.88

$13.26 ¥88.7

4.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$0.44 ¥2.92

786.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.60

$1.73 ¥11.60

126.01%

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

$19.77 ¥132

659.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.18 ¥7.89

186.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$0.36 ¥2.38

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.3

$7.35 ¥49.16

444.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.27 ¥8.50

10.24%

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

$29.1K A$41.7K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

49.95%

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

$30.1K A$43.2K

$16.3K ¥108.7K

85.38%

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

$223 A$319

$48.17 ¥322

362.11%

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

$27.16 A$38.91

$8.88 ¥59.4

205.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.0

$11.36 ¥76.0

391.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$42.64 ¥285

74.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

$16.36 ¥109

46.64%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.16

$7.57 ¥50.7

131.97%

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

$2,196 A$3,146

$574 ¥3,841

282.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.4K

$36.7K ¥245.3K

-23.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$32.68 ¥219

139.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.0

$41.93 ¥280

63.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$86.0 ¥575

29.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$109 ¥730

23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,582

$297 ¥1,983

743.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,449

$181 ¥1,209

845.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,085

$699 ¥4,675

607.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,329

$377 ¥2,519

702.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,544 ¥23.7K

271.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,971 ¥13.2K

324.59%

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 Taizhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Taizhou

$181 23.4% 89.4% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Taizhou

$223 28.8% 41.1% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Taizhou

$68 8.8% 77.6% $237

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 67.1% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Taizhou

$121 15.7% 31.3% $55

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Taizhou

$24 3.1% 86.2% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Taizhou

$58 7.5% 47.3% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $297 in Taizhou. 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 Taizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $223 – making Taizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

615,000

💱 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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Sydney Taizhou 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Taizhou

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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $774 in Taizhou – roughly 307% 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 $1,161 in Taizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taizhou, 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 Taizhou. 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 $774 in Taizhou. That's a gap of about 307%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taizhou, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Taizhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taizhou – 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 Taizhou. 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.