Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chenzhou and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Chenzhou vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chenzhou $721
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Chenzhou vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,197
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $1,674 per month in Chenzhou vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,674
Melbourne $5,699

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.18

$17.50 A$24.88

-82.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.13 ¥148

$84.3 A$120

-73.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.38

$12.17 A$17.30

-60.07%

Cappuccino

$1.54 ¥10.26

$4.07 A$5.79

-62.16%

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

$0.51 ¥3.42

$3.18 A$4.52

-83.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$2.50 A$3.55

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$9.57 A$13.61

-86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$8.25 A$11.73

-77.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.11

$1.50 A$2.14

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.85

$2.97 A$4.22

-19.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.24

$2.68 A$3.82

-70.52%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$5.45 A$7.76

-68.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 ¥87.6

$10.71 A$15.23

22.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ¥27.51

$10.05 A$14.29

-58.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.1

$15.00 A$21.33

-22.87%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$4.07 A$5.79

-85.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.84

$3.14 A$4.46

-62.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$3.12 A$4.43

-76.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$4.73 A$6.73

-74.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$2.98 A$4.24

-67.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$2.49 A$3.55

-38.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$2.48 A$3.53

-75.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.24

$1.60 A$2.27

-69.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ¥20.11

$44.65 A$63.5

-93.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ¥84.7

$12.68 A$18.03

0.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$5.55 A$7.89

-81.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.47

$5.18 A$7.37

-69.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$3.84 A$5.46

-91.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.40 ¥103

$139 A$197

-88.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$4.36 A$6.20

-65.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.37 A$1.94

-78.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 ¥30.64

$29.72 A$42.26

-84.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.49 A$2.11

-13.42%

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

$19.3K ¥128.6K

$29.1K A$41.4K

-33.70%

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

$17.4K ¥115.8K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-32.31%

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

$56.3 ¥375

$236 A$335

-76.10%

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

$8.94 ¥59.6

$28.01 A$39.83

-68.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.27 ¥75.1

$57.2 A$81.4

-80.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 ¥284

$48.39 A$68.8

-11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.67 ¥97.8

$21.46 A$30.52

-31.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.20

$17.67 A$25.12

-63.33%

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

$329 ¥2,192

$2,461 A$3,499

-86.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.5K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-43.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 ¥562

$81.2 A$115

3.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 ¥233

$49.28 A$70.1

-28.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 ¥594

$120 A$170

-25.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ¥392

$131 A$186

-55.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,064

$1,703 A$2,421

-81.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,087

$1,409 A$2,003

-88.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,892

$3,496 A$4,971

-83.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,757

$2,527 A$3,593

-83.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,531 ¥23.5K

$7,978 A$11.3K

-55.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$6,900 A$9,812

-72.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.9

-41.36%

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

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chenzhou

$215 29.8%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 79.7% $171

Accommodation & Living

Chenzhou

$163 22.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 763% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Chenzhou

$120 16.7%

Melbourne

$171 6% 42.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chenzhou

$77 10.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 319% $244

Eating Out

Chenzhou

$71 9.8%

Melbourne

$312 11% 342% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Chenzhou

$56 7.7%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 50.7% $28

Getting Around

Chenzhou

$20 2.7%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 743% $146

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Chenzhou versus $1,703 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 $22 in Chenzhou versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $386 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

3 h ahead of Chenzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,667,134

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chenzhou Melbourne 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chenzhou
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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

Chenzhou vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $721 in Chenzhou, $2,849 in Melbourne – roughly 295% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,081 per month in Chenzhou and $4,273 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Public transport costs about 89% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Chenzhou and $2,461 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chenzhou, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Melbourne at $2,849. In Chenzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chenzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 295% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.