Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benxi and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $710 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $710 per month in Benxi vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Benxi $710
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,027 per month in Benxi vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Benxi $1,027
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $1,344 per month in Benxi vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Benxi $1,344
Melbourne $5,650

Benxi is about 75% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benxi sits 47% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.47

$17.43 A$25.08

-82.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.56 ¥151

$84.6 A$122

-73.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$12.46 A$17.92

-56.98%

Cappuccino

$2.42 ¥16.19

$4.11 A$5.91

-41.12%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$3.06 A$4.40

-84.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$2.52 A$3.62

-88.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$9.80 A$14.10

-92.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.70

$8.57 A$12.33

-79.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.58

$1.48 A$2.14

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$2.94 A$4.23

-59.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$2.66 A$3.82

-67.67%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$5.54 A$7.97

-70.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 ¥66.6

$10.51 A$15.13

-5.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 ¥19.92

$9.65 A$13.89

-69.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$15.22 A$21.91

-41.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.74

$3.99 A$5.75

-59.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.33

$3.02 A$4.34

-53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$3.10 A$4.46

-45.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$4.82 A$6.93

-71.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$3.03 A$4.36

-79.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$2.44 A$3.52

-24.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$2.46 A$3.54

-74.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.69

$1.63 A$2.34

-57.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.73

$44.07 A$63.4

-93.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 ¥55.9

$12.70 A$18.28

-34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$5.54 A$7.97

-88.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$5.23 A$7.52

-75.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$3.74 A$5.38

-91.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$138 A$198

-91.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$4.51 A$6.50

-79.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.36 A$1.96

-77.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ¥20.29

$30.45 A$43.81

-90.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.55

$1.47 A$2.12

-23.13%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-34.10%

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

$17.6K ¥117.8K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-33.43%

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

$54.5 ¥364

$234 A$336

-76.70%

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

$6.90 ¥46.10

$27.93 A$40.19

-75.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.40 ¥69.6

$55.7 A$80.2

-81.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ¥452

$49.40 A$71.1

36.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.23 ¥55.1

$21.48 A$30.91

-61.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.82

$15.09 A$21.72

-61.50%

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

$440 ¥2,941

$2,371 A$3,412

-81.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,949 ¥59.8K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-70.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.00 ¥201

$80.0 A$115

-62.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.4 ¥558

$50.7 A$73.0

64.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.8 ¥399

$121 A$174

-50.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 ¥348

$130 A$188

-60.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 ¥899

$1,759 A$2,531

-92.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,212

$1,390 A$2,000

-86.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,718

$3,494 A$5,027

-92.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ¥995

$2,493 A$3,588

-94.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 ¥25.4K

$6,926 A$9,967

-45.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,967 ¥13.2K

$6,445 A$9,274

-69.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$457 ¥3,055

$4,383 A$6,307

-89.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

-32.20%

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

Last update for Benxi: 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

Benxi

$181 25.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 667% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Benxi

$181 25.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 113% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Benxi

$101 14.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 69.6% $70

Eating Out

Benxi

$80 11.3%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 293% $234

Sport & Entertainment

Benxi

$79 11.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 0.4% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benxi

$72 10.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 342% $246

Getting Around

Benxi

$16 2.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 929% $148

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Benxi 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 859% 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 Benxi versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $384 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Benxi

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

3 h ahead of Benxi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

809,655

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Benxi Melbourne 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Benxi
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

Benxi vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 297% more than Benxi, 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 $1,065 per month in Benxi 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 Benxi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $440 per month in Benxi and $2,371 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 113% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Benxi – 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 Benxi. 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.