Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sydney
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,152
/mo nomad
Zhongli City
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$993
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Zhongli City

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $993 in Zhongli City, rent included.

  • Sydney $3,152
  • Zhongli City $993

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,675 in Zhongli City, rent included.

  • Sydney $4,710
  • Zhongli City $1,675

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $2,357 in Zhongli City, rent included.

  • Sydney $6,268
  • Zhongli City $2,357

Sydney costs about 217% more than Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Zhongli City is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.57 A$25.29
$4.62 NT$150
280.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.5 A$132
$31.29 NT$1,015
192.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.96 A$17.21
$4.77 NT$155
150.73%
Cappuccino
$4.07 A$5.85
$2.57 NT$83.4
58.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 A$4.10
$1.03 NT$33.52
176.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 A$3.24
$0.69 NT$22.35
226.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.60 A$10.94
$1.61 NT$52.2
372.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.43 A$10.69
$2.75 NT$89.1
170.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 A$2.38
$3.18 NT$103
-47.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 A$4.00
$1.74 NT$56.3
59.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 A$3.49
$2.71 NT$87.9
-10.70%
Eggs
$5.64 A$8.12
$2.60 NT$84.3
116.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.71 A$16.85
$12.77 NT$414
-8.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.66 A$13.89
$7.09 NT$230
36.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.75 A$24.10
$15.39 NT$499
8.84%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 A$5.85
$3.74 NT$121
8.82%
Banana (1kg)
$3.25 A$4.68
$1.97 NT$63.8
64.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.44 A$4.96
$3.08 NT$99.9
11.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.28 A$6.16
$2.22 NT$72.1
92.79%
Potato (1kg)
$3.28 A$4.72
$1.23 NT$39.81
166.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.30 A$3.30
$1.90 NT$61.5
21.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.30 A$3.31
$2.44 NT$79.0
-5.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 A$1.74
$0.85 NT$27.52
42.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$43.71 A$62.9
$3.77 NT$122
1059.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.88 A$19.97
$15.45 NT$501
-10.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.90 A$5.62
$1.55 NT$50.2
151.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 A$5.63
$2.55 NT$82.8
53.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.04 A$4.38
$0.61 NT$19.90
398.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$150 A$216
$37.64 NT$1,221
299.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.38 A$4.86
$2.68 NT$86.8
26.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 A$2.24
$0.58 NT$18.72
168.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.01 A$57.6
$9.61 NT$312
316.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 A$2.01
$0.97 NT$31.60
44.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K A$41.9K
$33.1K NT$1.1M
-11.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K A$43.4K
$23.3K NT$754.6K
29.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$223 A$320
$106 NT$3,433
110.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.16 A$39.08
$14.76 NT$479
84.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.8 A$80.3
$17.14 NT$556
225.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.6 A$107
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.99 A$34.52
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.56 A$25.27
$9.62 NT$312
82.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,196 A$3,160
$344 NT$11.1K
538.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.2K A$40.6K
$16.9K NT$546.5K
67.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.4 A$113
$72.1 NT$2,338
8.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.4 A$98.5
$36.46 NT$1,182
87.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 A$160
$55.0 NT$1,782
102.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$134 A$193
$108 NT$3,505
24.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,500 A$3,598
$448 NT$14.5K
457.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,709 A$2,460
$251 NT$8,125
582.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,946 A$7,117
$874 NT$28.3K
465.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,022 A$4,349
$716 NT$23.2K
322.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.2K A$18.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,370 A$12.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Zhongli City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,113 A$5,919
$2,288 NT$74.2K
79.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
2.1
178.10%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sydney
$1.7K
Zhongli City
$251 85.3% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Sydney
$379
Zhongli City
$315 16.7% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
$306
Zhongli City
$138 54.9% $168
Eating Out
Sydney
$299
Zhongli City
$103 65.6% $196
Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
$177
Zhongli City
$122 30.8% $54
Getting Around
Sydney
$174
Zhongli City
$46 73.7% $128
Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
$110
Zhongli City
$19 * 82.5% $91

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $448 in Zhongli City. 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 80% 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 $31.00 in Zhongli City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $315 – making Zhongli City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Sydney
🇹🇼 Zhongli City
🕒 Local time
13:08 1:08 PM
10:08 10:08 AM
3 h behind Sydney
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,840,600
396,453
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sydney Zhongli City 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sydney
  • Zhongli City

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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Sydney and in Zhongli City compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $993 in Zhongli City – roughly 217% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Sydney compared to Zhongli City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,728 per month in Sydney and $1,490 in Zhongli City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Sydney and Zhongli City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhongli City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Sydney and $31.00 in Zhongli City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Sydney or Zhongli City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,152 in Sydney and $993 in Zhongli City. That's a gap of about 217%.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhongli City, where all-in costs run around $993, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Zhongli City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Sydney or Zhongli City?
Families tend to lean toward Zhongli City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Sydney or Zhongli City safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Sydney and Zhongli City?
If budget matters most, go with Zhongli City. 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.

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