Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
Learn more

Zhangjiagang Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Zhangjiagang

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $740 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Zhangjiagang $740

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,149 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Zhangjiagang $1,149

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,558 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Sydney costs about 326% more than Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Zhangjiagang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.17

$3.80 ¥25.43

362.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$22.20 ¥148

312.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.13

$4.98 ¥33.31

140.16%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.83

$3.04 ¥20.32

33.88%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.49 ¥3.29

481.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.27 ¥1.81

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.89

$1.51 ¥10.09

403.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.64

$2.22 ¥14.84

234.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.37

$2.08 ¥13.90

-20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.99

$2.09 ¥13.95

33.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.47

$0.84 ¥5.64

188.10%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.08

$1.36 ¥9.09

314.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.78

$10.64 ¥71.1

10.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.83

$2.93 ¥19.60

229.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.00

$9.12 ¥61.0

83.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.04 ¥13.66

99.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.66

$1.29 ¥8.64

151.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.93

$1.80 ¥12.04

91.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.13

$1.11 ¥7.39

285.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.69

$0.90 ¥5.99

264.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.90 ¥6.03

155.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.87 ¥5.80

164.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.53 ¥3.51

128.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.6

$3.64 ¥24.37

1100.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.88

$13.44 ¥89.9

3.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$0.94 ¥6.27

314.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.60

$1.56 ¥10.44

150.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.30 ¥1.99

913.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$17.58 ¥118

754.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.76 ¥11.78

92.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$0.39 ¥2.60

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.3

$8.76 ¥58.6

356.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.37 ¥9.14

2.19%

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

$29.1K A$41.7K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

51.88%

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

$30.1K A$43.2K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

78.76%

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

$223 A$319

$55.8 ¥373

299.28%

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

$27.16 A$38.91

$7.76 ¥51.9

250.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.0

$7.32 ¥48.98

662.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$36.15 ¥242

106.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

$16.01 ¥107

49.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.16

$6.07 ¥40.61

189.29%

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

$2,196 A$3,146

$418 ¥2,794

425.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.4K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

26.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$42.99 ¥288

82.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.0

$34.04 ¥228

101.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$65.7 ¥439

69.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$88.5 ¥592

51.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,582

$280 ¥1,869

794.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,449

$194 ¥1,295

782.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,085

$719 ¥4,809

587.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,329

$324 ¥2,168

832.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,266 ¥21.8K

303.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,685 ¥11.3K

396.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,893

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.42

70.76%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 88.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 46.1% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 76.8% $235

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 67.6% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 41.1% $73

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 87% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 56% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. 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 $22.00 in Zhangjiagang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $204 – making Zhangjiagang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,432,044

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Zhangjiagang 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Zhangjiagang

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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $740 in Zhangjiagang – roughly 326% 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 $1,110 in Zhangjiagang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhangjiagang, 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 $22.00 in Zhangjiagang. 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang. That's a gap of about 326%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiagang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Zhangjiagang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangjiagang – 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 Zhangjiagang. 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.