Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $734 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $734 per month in Chengdu vs $2,852 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chengdu $734
Melbourne $2,852

A couple spends around $1,211 per month in Chengdu vs $4,297 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chengdu $1,211
Melbourne $4,297

A family of three spends $1,688 per month in Chengdu vs $5,742 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chengdu $1,688
Melbourne $5,742

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

Chengdu sits 45% below the global median, while Melbourne is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$17.75 A$25.40

-83.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.31 ¥149

$84.8 A$121

-73.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.71

$12.16 A$17.40

-59.79%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.96

$3.93 A$5.62

-23.92%

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

$0.51 ¥3.40

$3.14 A$4.49

-83.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$2.43 A$3.47

-88.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$9.90 A$14.17

-85.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.55

$8.29 A$11.86

-73.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.55 A$2.21

18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.36

$3.01 A$4.31

-48.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.58

$2.88 A$4.12

-65.97%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.47

$5.44 A$7.79

-71.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 ¥94.7

$10.59 A$15.16

33.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 ¥24.76

$9.61 A$13.76

-61.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 ¥74.3

$14.99 A$21.46

-25.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$4.15 A$5.94

-54.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$3.05 A$4.37

-57.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.34

$3.30 A$4.72

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$4.76 A$6.81

-76.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.03

$3.04 A$4.34

-75.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$2.55 A$3.65

-73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.48 A$3.55

-74.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.66

$1.63 A$2.33

-66.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.59

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.60 ¥30.71

$12.43 A$17.79

-62.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$5.33 A$7.63

-84.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.77

$5.16 A$7.38

-71.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$3.84 A$5.50

-88.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.70 ¥165

$142 A$203

-82.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$4.40 A$6.29

-69.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.40 A$2.01

-77.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ¥29.26

$29.83 A$42.69

-85.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.46 A$2.09

-10.96%

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

$19.5K ¥130.6K

$28.1K A$40.3K

-30.58%

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

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$25.9K A$37.1K

-34.21%

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

$47.43 ¥317

$233 A$333

-79.61%

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

$9.39 ¥62.8

$27.28 A$39.04

-65.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.51 ¥83.6

$57.0 A$81.6

-78.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.41 ¥183

$52.7 A$75.4

-47.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.30 ¥75.5

$22.62 A$32.37

-50.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.14 ¥41.05

$17.10 A$24.48

-64.09%

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

$376 ¥2,516

$2,373 A$3,397

-84.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥99.8K

$30.5K A$43.6K

-50.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.02 ¥167

$78.2 A$112

-68.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.00 ¥187

$50.5 A$72.2

-44.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ¥383

$121 A$172

-52.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.7 ¥352

$133 A$191

-60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,145

$1,713 A$2,451

-72.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,716

$1,402 A$2,006

-81.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ¥5,472

$3,339 A$4,778

-75.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 ¥3,580

$2,529 A$3,619

-78.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 ¥24.8K

$7,018 A$10.0K

-47.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,928 ¥12.9K

$6,767 A$9,685

-71.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,277 ¥8,531

$4,228 A$6,051

-69.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

5.9

-42.71%

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

Last update for Chengdu: 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

Chengdu

$257 34.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 446% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 25.9%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 97.9% $191

Eating Out

Chengdu

$88 11.7%

Melbourne

$314 11% 256% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 135% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 357% $248

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$40 5.3%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 119% $47

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 473% $139

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $471 in Chengdu 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 231% 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 $22.00 in Chengdu versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $385 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

3 h ahead of Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Melbourne 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $734 in Chengdu, $2,852 in Melbourne – roughly 288% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,101 per month in Chengdu 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 Chengdu, 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 $22.00 in Chengdu 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 $734 in Chengdu and $2,852 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 288%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chengdu – 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 Chengdu. 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.