Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $842 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Xiamen 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 Xiamen and in Sydney actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $842 per month in Xiamen vs $3,182 in Sydney, rent included.

Xiamen $842
Sydney $3,182

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Xiamen vs $4,696 in Sydney, rent included.

Xiamen $1,338
Sydney $4,696

A family of three spends $1,835 per month in Xiamen vs $6,210 in Sydney, rent included.

Xiamen $1,835
Sydney $6,210

Xiamen is about 74% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Xiamen sits 37% below the global median, while Sydney is 137% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.10

$17.66 A$25.28

-82.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.67 ¥158

$97.1 A$139

-75.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.85

$11.94 A$17.09

-55.11%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ¥16.78

$4.00 A$5.72

-37.25%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$2.84 A$4.06

-83.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$2.27 A$3.25

-84.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$7.89 A$11.29

-81.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ¥19.97

$7.13 A$10.20

-58.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$1.66 A$2.38

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ¥15.20

$2.79 A$4.00

-18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$2.32 A$3.33

-57.76%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥10.92

$5.53 A$7.92

-70.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ¥79.9

$12.08 A$17.28

-1.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.83

$9.84 A$14.09

-74.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$16.61 A$23.78

-29.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.05

$4.02 A$5.76

-36.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$3.15 A$4.51

-53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$3.50 A$5.01

-52.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.19

$4.47 A$6.39

-55.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$3.32 A$4.76

-68.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$2.30 A$3.30

-20.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ¥6.05

$2.34 A$3.35

-61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.31

$1.15 A$1.65

-57.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$45.02 A$64.4

-93.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ¥75.0

$13.96 A$19.97

-19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$3.98 A$5.70

-79.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$4.07 A$5.82

-58.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.07

$3.16 A$4.52

-94.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.10 ¥80.9

$150 A$215

-91.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$3.45 A$4.94

-57.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.63 A$2.33

-82.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ¥49.07

$39.98 A$57.2

-81.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$1.40 A$2.01

-6.43%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$28.4K A$40.7K

-32.21%

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

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$29.4K A$42.1K

-41.28%

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

$44.42 ¥297

$220 A$315

-79.80%

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

$8.81 ¥58.9

$27.70 A$39.64

-68.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ¥68.3

$55.5 A$79.5

-81.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.22 ¥322

$74.3 A$106

-35.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.59 ¥70.8

$23.95 A$34.28

-55.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 ¥68.3

$17.73 A$25.37

-42.36%

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

$488 ¥3,264

$2,157 A$3,087

-77.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.3K

$28.3K A$40.5K

-14.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.84 ¥260

$78.4 A$112

-50.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 ¥190

$70.5 A$101

-59.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 ¥703

$111 A$159

-5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥565

$132 A$189

-35.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ¥2,283

$2,514 A$3,598

-86.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 ¥1,798

$1,732 A$2,478

-84.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥5,511

$4,889 A$6,996

-83.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥3,655

$3,039 A$4,349

-82.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,597 ¥57.5K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-34.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,684 ¥31.3K

$8,117 A$11.6K

-42.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,138 ¥7,607

$4,082 A$5,842

-72.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.84

-40.75%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$269 32.2%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 544% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$216 25.8%

Sydney

$380 12% 76.3% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$116 13.9%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 52.5% $61

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 244% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$69 8.2%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 59.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$63 7.6%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 378% $240

Getting Around

Xiamen

$16 1.9%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 1014% $159

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Xiamen versus $2,514 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 259% 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 $24.00 in Xiamen versus $97.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $380 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

3 h ahead of Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Xiamen Sydney 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

Xiamen vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $842 in Xiamen, $3,182 in Sydney – roughly 278% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,263 per month in Xiamen and $4,774 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xiamen, 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 $24.00 in Xiamen and $97.0 in Sydney. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $842 in Xiamen and $3,182 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 278%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Sydney at $3,182. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xiamen – 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 Xiamen. 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.