Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anqing and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Anqing: $643 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Anqing
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Anqing Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Anqing

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anqing and in Melbourne

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Anqing vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Anqing $643
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,005 per month in Anqing vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Anqing $1,005
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $1,368 per month in Anqing vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Anqing $1,368
Melbourne $5,650

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

Anqing sits 52% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.68 ¥17.94

$17.43 A$24.86

-84.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.93 ¥133

$84.6 A$121

-76.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 ¥39.20

$12.46 A$17.77

-52.89%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ¥14.27

$4.11 A$5.86

-47.93%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$3.06 A$4.36

-85.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$2.52 A$3.59

-91.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ¥6.94

$9.80 A$13.98

-89.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ¥9.07

$8.57 A$12.23

-84.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 ¥6.54

$1.48 A$2.12

-33.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$2.94 A$4.20

-48.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.72

$2.66 A$3.79

-62.03%

Eggs

$0.88 ¥5.90

$5.54 A$7.90

-84.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.30 ¥88.9

$10.51 A$15.00

26.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.62 ¥24.21

$9.65 A$13.77

-62.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 ¥78.0

$15.22 A$21.72

-23.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ¥14.65

$3.99 A$5.70

-45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$3.02 A$4.31

-58.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.77

$3.10 A$4.43

-52.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.61

$4.82 A$6.87

-76.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.23

$3.03 A$4.32

-74.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.44 A$3.49

-66.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 ¥2.51

$2.46 A$3.51

-84.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$1.63 A$2.32

-76.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 ¥43.87

$44.07 A$62.9

-85.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 ¥79.1

$12.70 A$18.12

-6.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$5.54 A$7.90

-86.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ¥10.06

$5.23 A$7.46

-71.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$4.51 A$6.44

-79.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ¥1.60

$1.36 A$1.94

-82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ¥20.08

$30.45 A$43.44

-90.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.47 A$2.10

-16.33%

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

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$29.0K A$41.4K

-32.69%

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

$16.6K ¥110.6K

$26.5K A$37.8K

-37.46%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$234 A$333

-75.28%

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

$8.67 ¥57.9

$27.93 A$39.84

-68.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.71 ¥58.2

$55.7 A$79.5

-84.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.3 ¥503

$49.40 A$70.5

52.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 ¥101

$21.48 A$30.64

-29.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 ¥35.08

$15.09 A$21.53

-65.21%

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

$221 ¥1,475

$2,371 A$3,383

-90.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥79.1K

$30.2K A$43.1K

-60.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.01 ¥167

$80.0 A$114

-68.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.19 ¥142

$50.7 A$72.3

-58.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 ¥523

$121 A$172

-35.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.17 ¥228

$130 A$186

-73.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,289

$1,759 A$2,509

-89.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 ¥916

$1,390 A$1,982

-90.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 ¥2,383

$3,494 A$4,984

-89.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ¥1,591

$2,493 A$3,557

-90.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.1K ¥87.6K

$6,926 A$9,881

89.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,480 ¥43.3K

$6,445 A$9,194

0.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$775 ¥5,176

$4,383 A$6,252

-82.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-49.15%

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

Last update for Anqing: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Anqing

$196 30.5%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 95.9% $188

Accommodation & Living

Anqing

$137 21.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 913% $1.3K

Sport & Entertainment

Anqing

$86 13.4%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 7.3% $6.2

Eating Out

Anqing

$75 11.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 318% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anqing

$75 11.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 322% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Anqing

$71 11.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 141% $100

Getting Around

Anqing

$2.1 * 0.3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 7589% $162

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $193 in Anqing versus $1,759 in Melbourne. 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 466% higher in Melbourne, 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 $20.00 in Anqing versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $384 – making Anqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Anqing

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

3 h ahead of Anqing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,165,284

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Anqing Melbourne 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Anqing
Melbourne

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

Anqing vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $643 in Anqing, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 339% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $964 per month in Anqing and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Anqing, 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 $20.00 in Anqing and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anqing, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Anqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Anqing – 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 Anqing. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.