Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,178 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,178

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,178 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,852 in Melbourne, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,178
Melbourne $2,852

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $4,297 in Melbourne, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,895
Melbourne $4,297

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $5,742 in Melbourne, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,612
Melbourne $5,742

Beijing (Pekin) is about 59% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Beijing (Pekin) sits 12% below the global median, while Melbourne is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.39

$17.75 A$25.49

-74.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.25 ¥196

$84.8 A$122

-65.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.59

$12.16 A$17.46

-56.25%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.57

$3.93 A$5.64

-10.43%

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

$0.53 ¥3.56

$3.14 A$4.51

-83.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$2.43 A$3.49

-88.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$9.90 A$14.22

-87.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥11.15

$8.29 A$11.91

-79.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.55 A$2.22

7.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$3.01 A$4.32

-41.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$2.88 A$4.14

-55.21%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥13.68

$5.44 A$7.82

-62.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.52 ¥97.2

$10.59 A$15.22

37.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥21.46

$9.61 A$13.81

-66.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 ¥75.2

$14.99 A$21.54

-25.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.96

$4.15 A$5.96

-49.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$3.05 A$4.38

-43.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$3.30 A$4.74

-39.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$4.76 A$6.83

-67.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.52

$3.04 A$4.36

-77.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ¥5.70

$2.55 A$3.66

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$2.48 A$3.56

-70.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$1.63 A$2.34

-61.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ¥29.57

$44.07 A$63.3

-89.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 ¥92.7

$12.43 A$17.85

11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$5.33 A$7.65

-80.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.11

$5.16 A$7.41

-64.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$3.84 A$5.52

-83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.88 ¥234

$142 A$203

-75.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$4.40 A$6.32

-55.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$1.40 A$2.01

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.65 ¥51.2

$29.83 A$42.84

-74.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.46 A$2.09

-13.01%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$28.1K A$40.4K

-30.39%

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

$18.1K ¥121.4K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-30.12%

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

$59.0 ¥395

$233 A$334

-74.64%

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

$8.94 ¥59.9

$27.28 A$39.19

-67.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.15 ¥94.7

$57.0 A$81.9

-75.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥273

$52.7 A$75.7

-22.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.56 ¥164

$22.62 A$32.49

8.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ¥49.37

$17.10 A$24.57

-56.84%

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

$650 ¥4,353

$2,373 A$3,409

-72.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.8K

$30.5K A$43.8K

-19.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ¥471

$78.2 A$112

-9.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.51 ¥271

$50.5 A$72.5

-19.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ¥586

$121 A$173

-27.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 ¥830

$133 A$191

-6.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ¥6,246

$1,713 A$2,460

-45.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 ¥3,469

$1,402 A$2,014

-63.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 ¥16.0K

$3,339 A$4,796

-28.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 ¥7,654

$2,529 A$3,632

-54.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ¥84.1K

$7,018 A$10.1K

79.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,393 ¥42.8K

$6,767 A$9,721

-5.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,710 ¥11.4K

$4,228 A$6,074

-59.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.21

5.9

-45.59%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): October 5, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$518 44%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 171% $884

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.4%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 69% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$145 12.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 18.6% $27

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$107 9.1%

Melbourne

$314 11% 193% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$82 7%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 286% $235

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$56 4.7%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 56.5% $31

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$41 3.5%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 309% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $1,713 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 147% 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 $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $385 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

3 h ahead of Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Melbourne 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,768 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $4,277 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beijing (Pekin), 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 $29.00 in Beijing (Pekin) and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,178 in Beijing (Pekin) and $2,852 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 142%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Beijing (Pekin), where all-in costs run around $1,178, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Beijing (Pekin) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beijing (Pekin) – 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 Beijing (Pekin). 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.