Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $912 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $912 in Changchun versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Changchun $912
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,335 in Changchun versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Changchun $1,335
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,757 in Changchun versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Changchun $1,757
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Changchun costs roughly 68% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Changchun is 32% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ¥19.71

$17.43 A$24.97

-83.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$84.6 A$121

-73.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.69

$12.46 A$17.85

-58.35%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ¥16.66

$4.11 A$5.88

-39.42%

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

$0.48 ¥3.20

$3.06 A$4.38

-84.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$2.52 A$3.61

-88.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$9.80 A$14.04

-88.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$8.57 A$12.28

-78.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.48 A$2.13

28.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.16

$2.94 A$4.22

-58.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$2.66 A$3.80

-45.49%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥12.33

$5.54 A$7.94

-66.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.91 ¥233

$10.51 A$15.06

232.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 ¥39.33

$9.65 A$13.82

-39.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$15.22 A$21.81

-30.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$3.99 A$5.72

-57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$3.02 A$4.32

-51.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$3.10 A$4.44

-42.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$4.82 A$6.90

-60.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$3.03 A$4.34

-70.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$2.46 A$3.53

-75.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$1.63 A$2.33

-9.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.44

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.59 ¥138

$12.70 A$18.20

62.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$5.54 A$7.93

-83.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$5.23 A$7.49

-78.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$3.74 A$5.36

-88.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$4.51 A$6.47

-72.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.11

$1.36 A$1.95

-77.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$30.45 A$43.62

-90.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.47 A$2.11

-15.65%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$29.0K A$41.5K

-32.49%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$26.5K A$37.9K

-32.18%

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

$75.1 ¥502

$234 A$335

-67.85%

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

$4.52 ¥30.24

$27.93 A$40.01

-83.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.5

$55.7 A$79.9

-73.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.44 ¥257

$49.40 A$70.8

-22.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.21 ¥28.18

$21.48 A$30.77

-80.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 ¥45.91

$15.09 A$21.62

-54.54%

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

$546 ¥3,650

$2,371 A$3,397

-76.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ¥143.2K

$30.2K A$43.3K

-29.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 ¥496

$80.0 A$115

-7.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 ¥303

$50.7 A$72.6

-10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥407

$121 A$173

-49.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 ¥475

$130 A$187

-45.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$1,759 A$2,520

-87.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,679

$1,390 A$1,991

-81.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 ¥3,847

$3,494 A$5,005

-83.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,073

$2,493 A$3,572

-87.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,661 ¥11.1K

$6,926 A$9,922

-76.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 ¥6,789

$6,445 A$9,233

-84.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 ¥6,451

$4,383 A$6,279

-77.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

5.9

-25.93%

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

Last update for Changchun: 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

Changchun

$315 * 34.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 21.9% $69

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$251 27.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 454% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$113 12.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 51.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$95 10.4%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 236% $223

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 285% $233

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$52 5.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 52.6% $27

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 3500% $159

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Changchun and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 354% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22.00 in Changchun vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $384 per month, with Changchun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

3 h ahead of Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

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

Changchun Melbourne 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
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

Changchun vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 209% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 354% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $218 in Changchun versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $546 in Changchun versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $912 in Changchun versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun 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, Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.