Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Sydney

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.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Zhongshan $700
Sydney $3,152

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

Zhongshan $1,110
Sydney $4,710

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

Zhongshan $1,521
Sydney $6,268

Zhongshan is about 78% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.47

$17.57 A$25.17

-83.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.18 ¥162

$91.5 A$131

-73.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ¥29.86

$11.96 A$17.13

-62.63%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.80

$4.07 A$5.83

-30.96%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$2.85 A$4.08

-83.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$2.25 A$3.23

-87.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$7.60 A$10.89

-89.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$7.43 A$10.64

-75.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.66 A$2.37

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$2.78 A$3.99

-42.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$2.42 A$3.47

-73.55%

Eggs

$1.20 ¥8.00

$5.64 A$8.08

-78.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 ¥139

$11.71 A$16.78

77.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ¥18.63

$9.66 A$13.83

-71.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.4

$16.75 A$24.00

-19.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.65

$4.07 A$5.83

-49.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$3.25 A$4.66

-68.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$3.44 A$4.93

-79.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.50

$4.28 A$6.13

-66.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.57

$3.28 A$4.69

-83.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$2.30 A$3.29

-66.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$2.30 A$3.29

-81.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.21 A$1.73

-55.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ¥19.79

$43.71 A$62.6

-93.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 ¥80.4

$13.88 A$19.88

-13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$3.90 A$5.59

-82.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$3.91 A$5.60

-53.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$3.04 A$4.36

-90.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.18 ¥102

$150 A$215

-89.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$3.38 A$4.84

-56.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.78

$1.56 A$2.23

-73.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ¥47.58

$40.01 A$57.3

-82.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$1.40 A$2.00

-7.86%

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

$19.1K ¥128.0K

$29.1K A$41.7K

-34.26%

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

$18.0K ¥120.7K

$30.1K A$43.2K

-40.10%

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

$41.21 ¥276

$223 A$319

-81.49%

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

$9.85 ¥65.9

$27.16 A$38.91

-63.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.3

$55.8 A$80.0

-77.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 ¥454

$74.6 A$107

-9.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.33 ¥49.00

$23.99 A$34.37

-69.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ¥40.42

$17.56 A$25.16

-65.60%

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

$324 ¥2,164

$2,196 A$3,146

-85.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$28.2K A$40.4K

-51.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.30 ¥330

$78.4 A$112

-37.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 ¥270

$68.4 A$98.0

-40.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥400

$111 A$159

-46.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥508

$134 A$193

-43.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,391

$2,500 A$3,582

-91.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥864

$1,709 A$2,449

-92.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,483

$4,946 A$7,085

-92.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,437

$3,022 A$4,329

-92.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 ¥16.4K

$13.2K A$18.9K

-81.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$8,370 A$12.0K

-81.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$956 ¥6,396

$4,113 A$5,893

-76.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.84

-42.64%

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

Last update for Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongshan

$224 32.1%

Sydney

$379 12% 68.8% $154

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$129 18.5%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.2% 1223% $1.6K

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$101 14.5%

Sydney

$177 5.6% 74% $75

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$81 11.6%

Sydney

$299 9.5% 269% $218

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$80 11.4%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 37.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.1%

Sydney

$306 9.7% 379% $242

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 773% $154

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Zhongshan 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 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan versus $91.0 in Sydney. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $379 – making Zhongshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

20:33 8:33 PM

3 h ahead of Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

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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Zhongshan Sydney 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhongshan
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

Zhongshan vs Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $700 in Zhongshan, $3,152 in Sydney – roughly 351% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,049 per month in Zhongshan 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 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 $24.00 in Zhongshan 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 $700 in Zhongshan and $3,152 in Sydney. 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.