Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhangzhou
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Zhangzhou Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Zhangzhou

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

A single person spends $3,245 per month in Sydney vs $716 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Sydney $3,245
Zhangzhou $716

A couple spends around $4,803 per month in Sydney vs $1,132 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Sydney $4,803
Zhangzhou $1,132

A family of three spends $6,362 per month in Sydney vs $1,547 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Sydney $6,362
Zhangzhou $1,547

Sydney costs about 353% more than Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 139% above the global median, while Zhangzhou is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$25.05

$2.74 ¥18.35

535.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.3 A$130

$21.73 ¥145

315.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 A$17.15

$4.80 ¥32.11

148.33%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.80

$3.05 ¥20.39

32.13%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.47 ¥3.16

512.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.20

$0.27 ¥1.78

725.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.36

$0.90 ¥6.01

776.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 A$9.76

$2.06 ¥13.75

229.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.45

$1.81 ¥12.13

-5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.59 ¥10.65

84.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.90 ¥6.03

178.89%

Eggs

$5.55 A$7.99

$1.55 ¥10.35

258.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$12.58 ¥84.1

-6.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$13.35

$3.15 ¥21.08

194.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 A$24.03

$10.14 ¥67.8

64.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.64

$1.86 ¥12.45

110.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.55

$1.25 ¥8.36

152.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$1.48 ¥9.91

135.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.10 ¥7.38

298.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.79

$0.73 ¥4.88

356.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$0.91 ¥6.11

163.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.55 ¥3.70

320.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.56 ¥3.72

105.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.34 A$63.8

$3.06 ¥20.49

1349.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.71 A$19.72

$10.62 ¥71.0

29.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.73 ¥4.89

447.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 A$5.80

$1.58 ¥10.55

155.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.63

$0.29 ¥1.95

1010.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 A$222

$16.89 ¥113

812.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.41 ¥9.43

153.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.32 ¥2.17

393.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.8

$6.55 ¥43.79

502.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.12 ¥7.48

32.14%

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

$29.6K A$42.5K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

54.52%

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

$27.7K A$39.8K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

60.42%

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

$241 A$347

$45.55 ¥305

429.92%

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

$27.57 A$39.67

$9.74 ¥65.1

183.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$81.0

$11.81 ¥79.0

376.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

$41.19 ¥275

89.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

$13.66 ¥91.4

70.28%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.26

$5.94 ¥39.75

195.45%

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

$2,185 A$3,144

$337 ¥2,251

548.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K A$40.0K

$16.7K ¥111.4K

66.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$43.23 ¥289

85.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 A$102

$30.11 ¥201

134.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$71.1 ¥476

55.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$72.8 ¥487

77.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

$282 ¥1,886

778.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

$196 ¥1,308

808.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

$584 ¥3,902

737.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

$361 ¥2,411

757.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.3K

$2,977 ¥19.9K

350.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,375 A$12.1K

$2,003 ¥13.4K

318.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,074 A$5,862

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

3.89

52.19%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 89% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$378 11.7%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 47.9% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$325 10%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 79.4% $258

Eating Out

Sydney

$297 9.2%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 71.5% $212

Getting Around

Sydney

$178 5.5%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 88.2% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 44.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$113 3.5%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 53.1% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,477 in Sydney versus $282 in Zhangzhou. 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 $90.0 in Sydney versus $22.00 in Zhangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $197 – making Zhangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

4,809,983

💱 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 Zhangzhou 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,245 in Sydney, $716 in Zhangzhou – roughly 353% 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 $1,074 in Zhangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhangzhou, 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 Zhangzhou. 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 $716 in Zhangzhou. That's a gap of about 353%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangzhou, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Sydney at $3,245. In Zhangzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangzhou – 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 Zhangzhou. 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.