Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $30,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
Learn more

Taiyuan Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taiyuan and in Sydney

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Taiyuan and in Sydney actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $589 per month in Taiyuan vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Taiyuan $589
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $913 per month in Taiyuan vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Taiyuan $913
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $1,238 per month in Taiyuan vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Taiyuan $1,238
Sydney $6,268

Taiyuan is about 81% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Taiyuan sits 56% below the global median, while Sydney is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.23

$17.57 A$25.29

-87.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.5

$91.5 A$132

-83.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.41

$11.96 A$17.21

-63.21%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.62

$4.07 A$5.85

-35.14%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$2.85 A$4.10

-83.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$2.25 A$3.24

-87.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$7.60 A$10.94

-83.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.38

$7.43 A$10.69

-71.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$2.42 A$3.49

-65.70%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.76

$5.64 A$8.12

-82.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 A$16.85

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.89

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥87.0

$16.75 A$24.10

-22.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$4.07 A$5.85

-54.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$3.25 A$4.68

-57.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.41

$3.44 A$4.96

-76.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.77

$4.28 A$6.16

-72.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$3.28 A$4.72

-85.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.30 A$3.30

-87.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$1.21 A$1.74

-61.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.75

$43.71 A$62.9

-93.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.6

$13.88 A$19.97

-45.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$3.90 A$5.62

-77.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$3.91 A$5.63

-62.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$3.04 A$4.38

-89.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.3

$150 A$216

-90.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$3.38 A$4.86

-65.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$1.56 A$2.24

-85.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.91

$40.01 A$57.6

-90.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.40 A$2.01

-10.71%

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

$20.0K ¥133.6K

$29.1K A$41.9K

-31.39%

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

$17.5K ¥117.3K

$30.1K A$43.4K

-41.80%

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

$94.3 ¥631

$223 A$320

-57.63%

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

$10.27 ¥68.7

$27.16 A$39.08

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.2

$55.8 A$80.3

-77.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$74.6 A$107

-39.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$23.99 A$34.52

-63.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.37

$17.56 A$25.27

-62.19%

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

$2,196 A$3,160

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K A$40.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.60 ¥185

$78.4 A$113

-64.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$68.4 A$98.5

-1.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥495

$111 A$160

-33.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$134 A$193

-55.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,491

$2,500 A$3,598

-91.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥760

$1,709 A$2,460

-93.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,719

$4,946 A$7,117

-88.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,733

$3,022 A$4,349

-91.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-80.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,368

$8,370 A$12.0K

-85.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,202

$4,113 A$5,919

-77.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

5.84

-34.42%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 160% $188

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 1403% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Sydney

$379 12% 268% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 72% $74

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 291% $222

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 87.8% $51

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 908% $156

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Taiyuan versus $2,500 in Sydney. 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 343% 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $379 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

3 h ahead of Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Taiyuan Sydney 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
Sydney

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

Taiyuan vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $589 in Taiyuan, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 435% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $883 per month in Taiyuan and $4,728 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taiyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $589 in Taiyuan and $3,152 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 435%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Taiyuan and $91.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taiyuan, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Taiyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taiyuan – 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 Taiyuan. 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.