Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $842 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,100 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 Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Xiamen

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $842 in Xiamen, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Xiamen $842

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $1,338 in Xiamen, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Xiamen $1,338

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $1,835 in Xiamen, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Xiamen $1,835

Sydney costs about 278% more than Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 137% above the global median, while Xiamen is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$3.01 ¥20.10

486.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$23.67 ¥158

310.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$5.36 ¥35.85

122.76%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.51 ¥16.78

59.36%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.47 ¥3.14

504.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.35 ¥2.37

548.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$1.47 ¥9.86

436.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$2.99 ¥19.97

138.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.46 ¥9.78

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$2.27 ¥15.20

22.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$0.98 ¥6.55

136.73%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$1.63 ¥10.92

239.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$11.95 ¥79.9

1.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$2.52 ¥16.83

290.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$11.73 ¥78.4

41.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$2.55 ¥17.05

57.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.47 ¥9.85

114.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.66 ¥11.09

110.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$1.97 ¥13.19

126.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$1.03 ¥6.86

222.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.82 ¥12.18

26.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.91 ¥6.05

157.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.49 ¥3.31

134.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$3.06 ¥20.47

1371.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$11.22 ¥75.0

24.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$0.81 ¥5.40

391.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$1.70 ¥11.37

139.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.16 ¥1.07

1875.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$12.10 ¥80.9

1139.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.47 ¥9.82

134.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.29 ¥1.92

462.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$7.34 ¥49.07

444.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.31 ¥8.78

6.87%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

47.51%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$17.3K ¥115.4K

70.29%

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

$220 A$315

$44.42 ¥297

395.02%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$8.81 ¥58.9

214.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$10.23 ¥68.3

442.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$48.22 ¥322

54.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$10.59 ¥70.8

126.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$10.22 ¥68.3

73.48%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$488 ¥3,264

341.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$24.1K ¥161.3K

17.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$38.84 ¥260

101.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$28.49 ¥190

147.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$105 ¥703

5.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$84.5 ¥565

55.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$342 ¥2,283

635.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$269 ¥1,798

543.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$825 ¥5,511

492.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$547 ¥3,655

455.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$8,597 ¥57.5K

53.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$4,684 ¥31.3K

73.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$1,138 ¥7,607

258.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.46

68.79%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Xiamen

$269 32.2% 84.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Xiamen

$216 25.8% 43.3% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Xiamen

$63 7.6% 79.1% $240

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 70.9% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Xiamen

$116 13.9% 34.4% $61

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Xiamen

$16 1.9% 91% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Xiamen

$69 8.2% 37.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney versus $342 in Xiamen. 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 $24.00 in Xiamen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $216 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,531,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sydney Xiamen 7,370 km ≈ 10 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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $842 in Xiamen – roughly 278% 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 $1,263 in Xiamen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xiamen, 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 $24.00 in Xiamen. 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 $842 in Xiamen. That's a gap of about 278%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xiamen – 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 Xiamen. 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.