Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangjiagang and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $3,152 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $740 per month in Zhangjiagang vs $3,152 in Sydney, rent included.

Zhangjiagang $740
Sydney $3,152

A couple spends around $1,149 per month in Zhangjiagang vs $4,710 in Sydney, rent included.

Zhangjiagang $1,149
Sydney $4,710

A family of three spends $1,558 per month in Zhangjiagang vs $6,268 in Sydney, rent included.

Zhangjiagang $1,558
Sydney $6,268

Zhangjiagang is about 77% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zhangjiagang sits 45% below the global median, while Sydney is 133% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ¥25.43

$17.57 A$25.17

-78.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.20 ¥148

$91.5 A$131

-75.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.31

$11.96 A$17.13

-58.36%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.32

$4.07 A$5.83

-25.31%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$2.85 A$4.08

-82.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$2.25 A$3.23

-88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$7.60 A$10.89

-80.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥14.84

$7.43 A$10.64

-70.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ¥13.90

$1.66 A$2.37

25.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$2.78 A$3.99

-24.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.64

$2.42 A$3.47

-65.29%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.09

$5.64 A$8.08

-75.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$11.71 A$16.78

-9.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 ¥19.60

$9.66 A$13.83

-69.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.12 ¥61.0

$16.75 A$24.00

-45.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.66

$4.07 A$5.83

-49.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$3.25 A$4.66

-60.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.04

$3.44 A$4.93

-47.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$4.28 A$6.13

-74.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$3.28 A$4.69

-72.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$2.30 A$3.29

-60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$2.30 A$3.29

-62.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.51

$1.21 A$1.73

-56.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.37

$43.71 A$62.6

-91.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 ¥89.9

$13.88 A$19.88

-3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$3.90 A$5.59

-75.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$3.91 A$5.60

-60.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥1.99

$3.04 A$4.36

-90.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.58 ¥118

$150 A$215

-88.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$3.38 A$4.84

-47.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$1.56 A$2.23

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$40.01 A$57.3

-78.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$1.40 A$2.00

-2.14%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$29.1K A$41.7K

-34.16%

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

$16.9K ¥112.7K

$30.1K A$43.2K

-44.06%

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

$55.8 ¥373

$223 A$319

-74.96%

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

$7.76 ¥51.9

$27.16 A$38.91

-71.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.32 ¥48.98

$55.8 A$80.0

-86.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.15 ¥242

$74.6 A$107

-51.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$23.99 A$34.37

-33.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.61

$17.56 A$25.16

-65.43%

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

$418 ¥2,794

$2,196 A$3,146

-80.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ¥149.4K

$28.2K A$40.4K

-20.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.99 ¥288

$78.4 A$112

-45.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 ¥228

$68.4 A$98.0

-50.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$111 A$159

-40.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ¥592

$134 A$193

-34.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,869

$2,500 A$3,582

-88.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ¥1,295

$1,709 A$2,449

-88.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 ¥4,809

$4,946 A$7,085

-85.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 ¥2,168

$3,022 A$4,329

-89.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,266 ¥21.8K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-75.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,685 ¥11.3K

$8,370 A$12.0K

-79.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,113 A$5,893

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

5.84

-41.44%

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

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6%

Sydney

$379 12% 85.5% $174

Accommodation & Living

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 783% $1.5K

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 69.8% $73

Eating Out

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 208% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 331% $235

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 127% $61

Getting Around

Zhangjiagang

$22 3%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 672% $151

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $280 in Zhangjiagang 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $379 – making Zhangjiagang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

3 h ahead of Zhangjiagang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,432,044

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Zhangjiagang Sydney 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangjiagang
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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

Zhangjiagang vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $740 in Zhangjiagang, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 326% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,110 per month in Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang, 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 $22.00 in Zhangjiagang and $91.0 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang and $3,152 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 326%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiagang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Sydney at $3,152. In Zhangjiagang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sydney it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangjiagang – 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 Zhangjiagang. 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.