Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Tonghua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $632 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $31,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Tonghua

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

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $632 in Tonghua, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
Tonghua $632

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,034 in Tonghua, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Tonghua $1,034

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,436 in Tonghua, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Tonghua $1,436

Sydney costs about 414% more than Tonghua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while Tonghua is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.20 ¥14.74

691.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$22.19 ¥148

306.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$5.09 ¥34.01

134.18%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$2.25 ¥15.07

79.11%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.47 ¥3.15

512.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.35 ¥2.35

537.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$0.79 ¥5.25

898.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$1.85 ¥12.38

266.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.68 ¥11.23

1.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.14 ¥14.32

37.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.07 ¥7.16

134.58%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.06 ¥7.09

423.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$13.11 ¥87.6

-10.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$2.94 ¥19.66

215.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$6.54 ¥43.73

155.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$0.99 ¥6.60

295.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.08 ¥7.21

192.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$0.81 ¥5.41

329.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.08 ¥7.23

305.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$0.92 ¥6.17

261.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.02 ¥6.85

135.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.59 ¥3.94

291.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.69 ¥4.60

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$3.64 ¥24.33

1118.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$11.75 ¥78.5

16.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.65 ¥4.33

515.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.10 ¥7.38

266.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.31 ¥2.07

938.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$17.92 ¥120

759.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$0.92 ¥6.14

288.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.38 ¥2.56

315.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$3.07 ¥20.51

1184.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.31 ¥8.74

12.98%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.3K ¥129.1K

53.08%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$17.0K ¥114.0K

62.26%

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

$241 A$347

$23.25 ¥155

938.19%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$5.85 ¥39.12

371.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$8.98 ¥60.1

526.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$41.90 ¥280

86.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$15.09 ¥101

54.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$5.89 ¥39.36

197.96%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$294 ¥1,969

642.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$15.0K ¥100.6K

84.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$22.05 ¥147

262.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$34.01 ¥227

107.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$58.8 ¥393

88.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$69.4 ¥464

86.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$294 ¥1,965

742.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$179 ¥1,199

891.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$639 ¥4,273

664.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$375 ¥2,509

724.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$3,528 ¥23.6K

280.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

322.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

$501 ¥3,350

713.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

48.00%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Tonghua

$179 28.4% 89.9% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Tonghua

$185 29.3% 51.1% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Tonghua

$38 6% 88.3% $287

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Tonghua

$71 11.2% 76.1% $226

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Tonghua

$22 3.5% 87.7% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Tonghua

$83 13.1% 52.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Tonghua

$54 8.5% 52.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $294 in Tonghua. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 713% higher in Sydney, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Sydney versus $22.00 in Tonghua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $185 – making Tonghua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

446,917

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Tonghua 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Tonghua

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 Tonghua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,245 in Sydney, $632 in Tonghua – roughly 414% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,867 per month in Sydney and $947 in Tonghua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tonghua, 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 $90.0 in Sydney and $22.00 in Tonghua. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,245 in Sydney and $632 in Tonghua. That's a gap of about 414%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tonghua, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Tonghua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tonghua – 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 Tonghua. 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.