Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baotou and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
Learn more

Baotou Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Baotou vs $2,853 in Melbourne, rent included.

Baotou $768
Melbourne $2,853

A couple spends around $1,248 per month in Baotou vs $4,275 in Melbourne, rent included.

Baotou $1,248
Melbourne $4,275

A family of three spends $1,728 per month in Baotou vs $5,697 in Melbourne, rent included.

Baotou $1,728
Melbourne $5,697

Baotou is about 73% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Baotou sits 43% below the global median, while Melbourne is 111% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.26 ¥35.18

$17.20 A$24.75

-69.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.87 ¥153

$83.1 A$120

-72.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 ¥63.5

$12.43 A$17.88

-23.57%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ¥18.56

$4.05 A$5.82

-31.36%

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

$0.47 ¥3.17

$3.12 A$4.50

-84.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$2.46 A$3.54

-87.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ¥7.59

$9.52 A$13.71

-88.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.77

$8.16 A$11.74

-76.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$1.56 A$2.25

19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.65

$2.90 A$4.18

-45.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.35

$2.66 A$3.82

-75.56%

Eggs

$2.48 ¥16.55

$5.37 A$7.72

-53.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.77 ¥92.1

$10.67 A$15.36

29.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 ¥25.86

$9.85 A$14.17

-60.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.26 ¥82.0

$15.36 A$22.11

-20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$4.17 A$6.00

-54.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.87

$3.15 A$4.53

-57.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.01

$3.26 A$4.69

-53.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$4.76 A$6.85

-73.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$3.06 A$4.41

-75.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$2.47 A$3.55

-59.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$2.45 A$3.52

-76.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.63 A$2.34

-63.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 ¥28.59

$45.17 A$65.0

-90.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 ¥72.4

$12.68 A$18.25

-14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.77

$5.69 A$8.18

-84.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.34

$5.23 A$7.53

-70.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$3.87 A$5.57

-91.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.41 ¥110

$142 A$204

-88.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ¥6.85

$4.54 A$6.53

-77.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$1.42 A$2.04

-75.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.09 ¥47.38

$30.59 A$44.01

-76.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.77

$1.47 A$2.11

-21.09%

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

$21.1K ¥141.2K

$28.9K A$41.5K

-26.82%

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

$20.1K ¥134.6K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-22.31%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$235 A$338

-75.31%

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

$8.15 ¥54.5

$27.45 A$39.51

-70.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.65 ¥64.5

$56.1 A$80.8

-82.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.39 ¥317

$50.1 A$72.1

-5.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.49 ¥104

$21.49 A$30.93

-27.92%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ¥34.00

$17.76 A$25.56

-71.40%

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

$371 ¥2,483

$2,385 A$3,432

-84.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥131.8K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-33.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.80 ¥286

$79.2 A$114

-45.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.08 ¥241

$49.49 A$71.2

-27.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥492

$118 A$170

-37.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 ¥591

$132 A$190

-33.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ¥1,758

$1,763 A$2,537

-85.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ¥1,154

$1,411 A$2,031

-87.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 ¥4,042

$3,522 A$5,069

-82.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,543

$2,525 A$3,634

-84.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 ¥20.9K

$7,136 A$10.3K

-56.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ¥13.6K

$6,355 A$9,144

-67.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$666 ¥4,454

$4,258 A$6,128

-84.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.9

-43.05%

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

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baotou

$217 28.3%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 78.9% $171

Accommodation & Living

Baotou

$173 22.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 718% $1.2K

Eating Out

Baotou

$117 15.2%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 166% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Baotou

$108 14.1%

Melbourne

$171 6% 57.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baotou

$76 9.9%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 320% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Baotou

$58 7.5%

Melbourne

$86 3% 48.8% $28

Getting Around

Baotou

$20 2.7%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 727% $149

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Baotou versus $1,763 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 539% 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 $23.00 in Baotou versus $83.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $388 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baotou

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

3 h ahead of Baotou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,709,378

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baotou Melbourne 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Baotou
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

Baotou vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $768 in Baotou, $2,853 in Melbourne – roughly 271% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,153 per month in Baotou and $4,280 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baotou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 79% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Baotou and $83.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – 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 Baotou. 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.