Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Zhongshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $700 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sydney and in Zhongshan

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

A single person spends $3,152 per month in Sydney vs $700 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Sydney $3,152
Zhongshan $700

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Sydney vs $1,110 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Sydney $4,710
Zhongshan $1,110

A family of three spends $6,268 per month in Sydney vs $1,521 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Sydney $6,268
Zhongshan $1,521

Sydney costs about 351% more than Zhongshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sydney sits 133% above the global median, while Zhongshan is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.57 A$25.17

$2.91 ¥19.47

503.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 A$131

$24.18 ¥162

278.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$17.13

$4.47 ¥29.86

167.56%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.81 ¥18.80

44.84%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$0.47 ¥3.15

506.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.23

$0.29 ¥1.93

675.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 A$10.89

$0.78 ¥5.19

874.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.64

$1.81 ¥12.14

310.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.37

$1.55 ¥10.38

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.99

$1.59 ¥10.61

74.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.47

$0.64 ¥4.31

278.12%

Eggs

$5.64 A$8.08

$1.20 ¥8.00

370.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.78

$20.77 ¥139

-43.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.83

$2.79 ¥18.63

246.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 A$24.00

$13.52 ¥90.4

23.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.83

$2.04 ¥13.65

99.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.66

$1.03 ¥6.88

215.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.93

$0.69 ¥4.60

398.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 A$6.13

$1.42 ¥9.50

201.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.69

$0.53 ¥3.57

518.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.78 ¥5.19

194.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.29

$0.43 ¥2.88

434.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$0.54 ¥3.60

124.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.71 A$62.6

$2.96 ¥19.79

1376.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 A$19.88

$12.02 ¥80.4

15.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$0.69 ¥4.63

465.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 A$5.60

$1.80 ¥12.01

117.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.29 ¥1.92

948.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$15.18 ¥102

889.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.48 ¥9.88

128.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.23

$0.42 ¥2.78

271.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.01 A$57.3

$7.11 ¥47.58

462.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.29 ¥8.65

8.53%

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

$29.1K A$41.7K

$19.1K ¥128.0K

52.12%

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

$30.1K A$43.2K

$18.0K ¥120.7K

66.94%

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

$223 A$319

$41.21 ¥276

440.16%

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

$27.16 A$38.91

$9.85 ¥65.9

175.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 A$80.0

$12.75 ¥85.3

337.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.6 A$107

$67.8 ¥454

9.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.99 A$34.37

$7.33 ¥49.00

227.29%

Cinema Ticket

$17.56 A$25.16

$6.04 ¥40.42

190.73%

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

$2,196 A$3,146

$324 ¥2,164

578.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.4K

$13.6K ¥90.9K

107.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$49.30 ¥330

59.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.4 A$98.0

$40.39 ¥270

69.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$59.9 ¥400

85.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$76.0 ¥508

76.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,500 A$3,582

$208 ¥1,391

1101.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,449

$129 ¥864

1222.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,946 A$7,085

$371 ¥2,483

1231.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,022 A$4,329

$215 ¥1,437

1306.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,447 ¥16.4K

438.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,370 A$12.0K

$1,515 ¥10.1K

452.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,893

$956 ¥6,396

330.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.35

74.33%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2%

Zhongshan

$129 18.5% 92.4% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$379 12%

Zhongshan

$224 32.1% 40.8% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$306 9.7%

Zhongshan

$64 9.1% 79.1% $242

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.5%

Zhongshan

$81 11.6% 72.9% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$177 5.6%

Zhongshan

$101 14.5% 42.5% $75

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Zhongshan

$20 2.8% 88.5% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Zhongshan

$80 11.4% 27.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,500 in Sydney versus $208 in Zhongshan. 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 330% 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 Zhongshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $224 – making Zhongshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

18:20 6:20 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

3,209,600

💱 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 →

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Sydney Zhongshan 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Zhongshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,152 in Sydney, $700 in Zhongshan – roughly 351% 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 $1,049 in Zhongshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhongshan, 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 Zhongshan. 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 $700 in Zhongshan. That's a gap of about 351%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zhongshan, where all-in costs run around $700, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Zhongshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongshan – 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 Zhongshan. 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.