Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beihai and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Beihai vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Beihai $744
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,167 per month in Beihai vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Beihai $1,167
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $1,590 per month in Beihai vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Beihai $1,590
Melbourne $5,650

Beihai is about 74% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Beihai sits 45% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 ¥22.75

$17.43 A$24.97

-80.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.56 ¥131

$84.6 A$121

-76.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ¥37.31

$12.46 A$17.85

-55.22%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.28

$4.11 A$5.88

-40.88%

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

$0.46 ¥3.09

$3.06 A$4.38

-84.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥1.99

$2.52 A$3.61

-88.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.14

$9.80 A$14.04

-87.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.34

$8.57 A$12.28

-73.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.69

$1.48 A$2.13

28.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.36

$2.94 A$4.22

-42.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$2.66 A$3.80

-58.65%

Eggs

$1.87 ¥12.53

$5.54 A$7.94

-66.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 ¥93.3

$10.51 A$15.06

32.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.54

$9.65 A$13.82

-69.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ¥70.8

$15.22 A$21.81

-30.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 ¥14.03

$3.99 A$5.72

-47.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$3.02 A$4.32

-50.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$3.10 A$4.44

-50.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$4.82 A$6.90

-73.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$3.03 A$4.34

-75.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.46

$2.44 A$3.50

-60.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$2.46 A$3.53

-72.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.33

$1.63 A$2.33

-69.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ¥22.70

$44.07 A$63.1

-92.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 ¥80.6

$12.70 A$18.20

-5.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$5.54 A$7.93

-86.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.10

$5.23 A$7.49

-68.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$3.74 A$5.36

-91.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.17 ¥115

$138 A$197

-87.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$4.51 A$6.47

-65.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.36 A$1.95

-77.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 ¥41.53

$30.45 A$43.62

-79.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥9.31

$1.47 A$2.11

-5.44%

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

$18.2K ¥121.6K

$29.0K A$41.5K

-37.30%

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

$18.2K ¥121.9K

$26.5K A$37.9K

-31.12%

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

$61.5 ¥411

$234 A$335

-73.67%

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

$9.42 ¥63.0

$27.93 A$40.01

-66.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.09 ¥80.9

$55.7 A$79.9

-78.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.99 ¥274

$49.40 A$70.8

-17.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.01 ¥93.7

$21.48 A$30.77

-34.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.71 ¥38.20

$15.09 A$21.62

-62.16%

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

$458 ¥3,065

$2,371 A$3,397

-80.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥122.6K

$30.2K A$43.3K

-39.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.58 ¥325

$80.0 A$115

-39.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥254

$50.7 A$72.6

-24.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ¥534

$121 A$173

-33.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$130 A$187

-39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥1,863

$1,759 A$2,520

-84.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,190

$1,390 A$1,991

-87.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 ¥4,804

$3,494 A$5,005

-79.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$2,493 A$3,572

-86.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,665 ¥24.5K

$6,926 A$9,922

-47.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 ¥14.9K

$6,445 A$9,233

-65.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

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 Beihai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Beihai

$212 28.5%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 81.3% $172

Accommodation & Living

Beihai

$178 23.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 681% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Beihai

$110 14.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 55.5% $61

Eating Out

Beihai

$87 11.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 262% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beihai

$83 11.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 282% $234

Sport & Entertainment

Beihai

$52 7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 51.8% $27

Getting Around

Beihai

$22 2.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 662% $142

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Beihai 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $384 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beihai

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

3 h ahead of Beihai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,617,500

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Beihai Melbourne 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Beihai
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

Beihai vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 279% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Beihai 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 Beihai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 81% 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 $20.00 in Beihai and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beihai – 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 Beihai. 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.