Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Zhanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $716 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhanjiang
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Zhanjiang Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Zhanjiang

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $716 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Zhanjiang $716

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,136 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Zhanjiang $1,136

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,556 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Zhanjiang $1,556

Sydney costs about 340% more than Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Zhanjiang is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.29

$2.59 ¥17.33

578.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$132

$19.75 ¥132

363.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.21

$5.20 ¥34.77

130.00%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.82 ¥18.83

44.33%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.51 ¥3.42

458.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.34 ¥2.29

561.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.94

$1.21 ¥8.11

528.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$1.96 ¥13.13

279.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$1.82 ¥12.15

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.76 ¥11.75

57.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.49

$0.83 ¥5.54

191.57%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.12

$1.62 ¥10.85

248.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

$15.01 ¥100

-21.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

$3.19 ¥21.30

202.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.10

$9.84 ¥65.8

70.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$1.85 ¥12.36

120.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$1.28 ¥8.59

153.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.96

$1.55 ¥10.37

121.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.16

$1.27 ¥8.47

237.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$0.73 ¥4.88

349.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$0.83 ¥5.55

177.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

$0.57 ¥3.83

303.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.74

$0.58 ¥3.87

108.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.9

$3.58 ¥23.93

1120.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.97

$10.68 ¥71.4

29.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.62

$0.97 ¥6.48

302.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.63

$1.79 ¥11.95

118.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.38

$0.27 ¥1.79

1025.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$216

$16.11 ¥108

832.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.86

$1.65 ¥11.00

104.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.31 ¥2.08

403.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.6

$6.12 ¥40.91

553.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.09 ¥7.32

28.44%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

64.07%

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

$30.1K A$43.4K

$15.7K ¥104.8K

92.31%

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

$223 A$320

$56.1 ¥375

296.51%

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

$27.16 A$39.08

$9.19 ¥61.5

195.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.3

$12.15 ¥81.3

359.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$40.07 ¥268

86.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.52

$13.31 ¥89.0

80.24%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.27

$5.99 ¥40.05

193.16%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

$373 ¥2,493

488.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

$16.4K ¥109.5K

72.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$46.39 ¥310

69.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.5

$34.55 ¥231

98.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$70.3 ¥470

58.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$74.8 ¥500

79.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,598

$310 ¥2,073

706.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,460

$173 ¥1,154

890.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,117

$577 ¥3,858

757.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,349

$343 ¥2,295

780.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$3,337 ¥22.3K

294.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,866 ¥12.5K

348.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,919

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.36

73.81%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhanjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Zhanjiang

$173 24.1% 89.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Zhanjiang

$208 29.1% 45% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Zhanjiang

$77 10.8% 74.6% $228

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.7% 72% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Zhanjiang

$102 14.2% 42.4% $75

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Zhanjiang

$20 2.9% 88.3% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Zhanjiang

$52 7.3% 52.6% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $310 in Zhanjiang. 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 $20.00 in Zhanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $208 – making Zhanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,612,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Sydney Zhanjiang 7,500 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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $716 in Zhanjiang – roughly 340% 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 $1,074 in Zhanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhanjiang, 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 $20.00 in Zhanjiang. 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 $716 in Zhanjiang. That's a gap of about 340%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhanjiang, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Zhanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhanjiang – 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 Zhanjiang. 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.