Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 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
Learn more

Sydney Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
Learn more

Zhangjiakou Living Index

Jump to prices

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Zhangjiakou

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $776 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Zhangjiakou $776

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,216 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Zhangjiakou $1,216

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,656 in Zhangjiakou, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Zhangjiakou $1,656

Sydney costs about 306% more than Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Zhangjiakou is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.25

$2.20 ¥14.70

698.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$24.17 ¥161

278.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.18

$6.05 ¥40.38

97.69%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.84

$3.52 ¥23.48

15.63%

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

$2.85 A$4.09

$0.51 ¥3.42

458.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.26 ¥1.72

765.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.92

$0.94 ¥6.30

708.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.67

$1.76 ¥11.73

322.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.44 ¥9.60

15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.31 ¥15.41

20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.06 ¥7.10

128.30%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.10

$1.02 ¥6.80

452.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.83

$14.81 ¥98.9

-20.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.87

$2.93 ¥19.55

229.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.06

$9.37 ¥62.5

78.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.84

$1.62 ¥10.79

151.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.67

$0.93 ¥6.21

249.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.95

$1.77 ¥11.85

94.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.15

$1.23 ¥8.22

247.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.71

$0.80 ¥5.33

310.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.58 ¥3.85

296.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.63 ¥4.18

265.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.72 ¥4.79

68.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.8

$3.84 ¥25.61

1038.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.94

$13.47 ¥89.9

3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.61

$1.07 ¥7.17

264.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.62

$2.45 ¥16.32

59.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.37

$0.31 ¥2.10

880.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$17.91 ¥120

738.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.85

$1.07 ¥7.17

215.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.32 ¥2.16

387.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.5

$6.15 ¥41.03

550.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.21 ¥8.09

15.70%

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

$29.1K A$41.8K

$19.6K ¥131.1K

48.25%

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

$30.1K A$43.3K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

72.40%

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

$223 A$320

$93.0 ¥621

139.25%

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

$27.16 A$39.02

$6.24 ¥41.65

335.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.2

$7.62 ¥50.9

632.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$41.33 ¥276

80.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.47

$14.92 ¥99.6

60.79%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.23

$7.53 ¥50.3

133.20%

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

$2,196 A$3,155

$342 ¥2,286

541.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.5K

$5,359 ¥35.8K

425.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$44.47 ¥297

76.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.3

$28.44 ¥190

140.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$98.7 ¥659

12.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$60.5 ¥404

122.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,592

$304 ¥2,027

723.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,456

$186 ¥1,241

819.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,105

$625 ¥4,172

691.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,342

$370 ¥2,468

717.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,819 ¥25.5K

244.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,933 ¥12.9K

333.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,910

$396 ¥2,640

939.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.54

64.97%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Zhangjiakou

$186 23.9% 89.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Zhangjiakou

$212 27.3% 44.1% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Zhangjiakou

$107 13.8% 65% $199

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Zhangjiakou

$89 11.5% 70.1% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Zhangjiakou

$104 13.5% 40.9% $72

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Zhangjiakou

$22 2.8% 87.4% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Zhangjiakou

$56 7.3% 48.6% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $304 in Zhangjiakou. 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 940% 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 $91.0 in Sydney versus $24.00 in Zhangjiakou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $212 – making Zhangjiakou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,345,491

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sydney Zhangjiakou 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
Zhangjiakou

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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $776 in Zhangjiakou – roughly 306% 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 $1,165 in Zhangjiakou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhangjiakou, 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 $24.00 in Zhangjiakou. 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 $776 in Zhangjiakou. That's a gap of about 306%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiakou, where all-in costs run around $776, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Zhangjiakou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangjiakou – 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 Zhangjiakou. 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.