Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baoji and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $756 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$756

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Baoji versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Baoji $756
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Baoji versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Baoji $1,139
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,521 in Baoji versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Baoji $1,521
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Baoji costs roughly 73% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baoji is 44% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.31

$17.43 A$24.86

-84.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.92 ¥79.6

$84.6 A$121

-85.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥29.80

$12.46 A$17.77

-64.21%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ¥14.53

$4.11 A$5.86

-47.20%

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

$0.29 ¥1.92

$3.06 A$4.36

-90.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$2.52 A$3.59

-89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$9.80 A$13.98

-85.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$8.57 A$12.23

-82.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.87

$1.48 A$2.12

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$2.94 A$4.20

-40.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$2.66 A$3.79

-65.79%

Eggs

$0.86 ¥5.73

$5.54 A$7.90

-84.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$10.51 A$15.00

11.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 ¥26.49

$9.65 A$13.77

-58.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ¥70.7

$15.22 A$21.72

-30.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.16

$3.99 A$5.70

-58.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.44

$3.02 A$4.31

-63.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.27

$3.10 A$4.43

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$4.82 A$6.87

-73.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$3.03 A$4.32

-79.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$2.44 A$3.49

-71.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.46 A$3.51

-74.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$1.63 A$2.32

-66.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥22.98

$44.07 A$62.9

-92.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 ¥65.1

$12.70 A$18.12

-23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$5.54 A$7.90

-86.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.72

$5.23 A$7.46

-66.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$3.74 A$5.33

-92.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 ¥111

$138 A$196

-87.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$4.51 A$6.44

-71.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.36 A$1.94

-78.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.17

$30.45 A$43.44

-85.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.15

$1.47 A$2.10

-6.80%

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$29.0K A$41.4K

-33.29%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$26.5K A$37.8K

-33.88%

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

$90.2 ¥603

$234 A$333

-61.40%

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

$6.31 ¥42.15

$27.93 A$39.84

-77.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 ¥72.4

$55.7 A$79.5

-80.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.46 ¥310

$49.40 A$70.5

-5.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 ¥88.1

$21.48 A$30.64

-38.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.79

$15.09 A$21.53

-61.50%

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

$701 ¥4,682

$2,371 A$3,383

-70.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$30.2K A$43.1K

-41.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.43 ¥263

$80.0 A$114

-50.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 ¥252

$50.7 A$72.3

-25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥496

$121 A$172

-38.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥611

$130 A$186

-29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,857

$1,759 A$2,509

-84.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,310

$1,390 A$1,982

-85.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 ¥4,205

$3,494 A$4,984

-81.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ¥2,335

$2,493 A$3,557

-85.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,178 ¥21.2K

$6,926 A$9,881

-54.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,815 ¥12.1K

$6,445 A$9,194

-71.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,252

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.9

-43.22%

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

Last update for Baoji: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baoji

$196 25.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 609% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Baoji

$192 25.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 101% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Baoji

$109 14.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 57.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baoji

$107 14.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 196% $210

Eating Out

Baoji

$74 9.8%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 326% $241

Sport & Entertainment

Baoji

$58 7.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 37.1% $22

Getting Around

Baoji

$20 2.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 701% $143

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $278 in Baoji and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Baoji vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $384 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baoji

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

3 h ahead of Baoji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,438,000

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Baoji Melbourne 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Baoji
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

Baoji vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baoji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 273% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,135 in Baoji and $4,231 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $278 in Baoji versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baoji runs roughly 730% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $701 in Baoji versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $756 in Baoji versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baoji but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Baoji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Baoji and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baoji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 273% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.