Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Wuhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuhan: $818 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Wuhan
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Wuhan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Wuhan

🇨🇳 China

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Wuhan

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $818 in Wuhan, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Wuhan $818

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $1,275 in Wuhan, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Wuhan $1,275

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $1,733 in Wuhan, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Wuhan $1,733

Sydney costs about 289% more than Wuhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 137% above the global median, while Wuhan is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$2.90 ¥19.35

508.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$22.29 ¥149

335.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$6.60 ¥44.14

80.91%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.13 ¥14.21

87.79%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.45 ¥2.98

531.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.31 ¥2.10

632.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$1.06 ¥7.08

644.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$3.43 ¥22.91

107.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.07 ¥13.82

-19.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.85 ¥12.34

50.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.00 ¥6.68

132.00%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.62 ¥10.81

241.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$13.32 ¥89.0

-9.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$3.62 ¥24.17

171.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$13.38 ¥89.4

24.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.27 ¥15.17

77.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.21 ¥8.10

160.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.40 ¥9.37

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$1.15 ¥7.68

288.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$0.82 ¥5.51

304.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.83 ¥5.53

177.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.34 ¥2.29

588.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.51 ¥3.42

125.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$6.65 ¥44.46

576.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$15.08 ¥101

-7.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$0.79 ¥5.29

403.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$2.08 ¥13.90

95.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.57 ¥3.83

454.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$30.22 ¥202

396.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.52 ¥10.19

126.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.29 ¥1.91

462.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$4.16 ¥27.82

861.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.35 ¥9.02

3.70%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

48.86%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$16.8K ¥112.3K

74.93%

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

$220 A$315

$58.1 ¥388

278.60%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$8.57 ¥57.3

223.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$12.07 ¥80.6

360.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$53.0 ¥354

40.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$14.93 ¥99.8

60.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$5.91 ¥39.48

200.00%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$375 ¥2,508

474.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$11.7K ¥78.3K

141.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$54.7 ¥366

43.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$33.13 ¥221

112.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$78.8 ¥527

41.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$116 ¥778

13.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$344 ¥2,300

630.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$203 ¥1,358

752.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$650 ¥4,345

652.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$353 ¥2,357

761.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,088 ¥20.6K

327.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$1,480 ¥9,894

448.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$1,137 ¥7,598

259.08%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Wuhan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Wuhan

$203 24.8% 88.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Wuhan

$228 27.7% 40.1% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Wuhan

$79 9.6% 74% $224

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Wuhan

$84 10.2% 72% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Wuhan

$127 15.5% 27.8% $49

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Wuhan

$35 4.3% 79.6% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Wuhan

$65 7.9% 40.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $344 in Wuhan. 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 259% 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 $97.0 in Sydney versus $22.00 in Wuhan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $228 – making Wuhan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Wuhan

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

12,450,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Wuhan 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Wuhan

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 Wuhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $818 in Wuhan – roughly 289% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney and $1,226 in Wuhan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wuhan, 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 $97.0 in Sydney and $22.00 in Wuhan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,182 in Sydney and $818 in Wuhan. That's a gap of about 289%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Wuhan, where all-in costs run around $818, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Wuhan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wuhan – 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 Wuhan. 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.