Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jump to prices
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,852
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: China is 58.8% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 72.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 58.9% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 69.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90 ¥19.42
$17.75 A$25.49
-83.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.02 ¥147
$84.8 A$122
-74.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ¥34.80
$12.16 A$17.46
-57.24%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.35
$3.93 A$5.64
-22.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.46
$3.14 A$4.51
-83.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.85
$2.43 A$3.49
-88.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ¥6.76
$9.90 A$14.22
-89.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.66
$8.29 A$11.91
-73.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥11.73
$1.55 A$2.22
12.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.98
$3.01 A$4.32
-45.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.13
$2.88 A$4.14
-68.06%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.67
$5.44 A$7.82
-70.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 ¥86.9
$10.59 A$15.22
22.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.42
$9.61 A$13.81
-65.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.8
$14.99 A$21.54
-25.42%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.04
$4.15 A$5.96
-56.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.80
$3.05 A$4.38
-57.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.82
$3.30 A$4.74
-55.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.81
$4.76 A$6.83
-72.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.08
$3.04 A$4.36
-75.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.16
$2.55 A$3.66
-63.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.95
$2.48 A$3.56
-76.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.64
$1.63 A$2.34
-66.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥25.38
$44.07 A$63.3
-91.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 ¥81.3
$12.43 A$17.85
-2.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥5.49
$5.33 A$7.65
-84.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.94
$5.16 A$7.41
-68.41%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$3.84 A$5.52
-92.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.33 ¥149
$142 A$203
-84.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ¥10.26
$4.40 A$6.32
-65.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.32
$1.40 A$2.01
-75.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.00 ¥46.87
$29.83 A$42.84
-76.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.79
$1.46 A$2.09
-10.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥127.3K
$28.1K A$40.4K
-32.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥113.9K
$25.9K A$37.3K
-34.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.1 ¥362
$233 A$334
-76.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.42 ¥56.4
$27.28 A$39.19
-69.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 ¥71.8
$57.0 A$81.9
-81.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.72 ¥273
$52.7 A$75.7
-22.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.58 ¥97.6
$22.62 A$32.49
-35.54%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 ¥45.22
$17.10 A$24.57
-60.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ¥3,094
$2,373 A$3,409
-80.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K ¥131.2K
$30.5K A$43.8K
-35.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 ¥305
$78.2 A$112
-41.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.05 ¥241
$50.5 A$72.5
-28.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥505
$121 A$173
-37.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥529
$133 A$191
-40.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 ¥2,581
$1,713 A$2,460
-77.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,604
$1,402 A$2,014
-82.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 ¥5,646
$3,339 A$4,796
-74.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ¥3,088
$2,529 A$3,632
-81.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,590 ¥30.7K
$7,018 A$10.1K
-34.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,279 ¥15.3K
$6,767 A$9,721
-66.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,060 ¥7,093
$4,228 A$6,074
-74.94%
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 China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
China
$240
Melbourne
$1.4K 485% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
China
$207
Melbourne
$385 85.9% $178
Clothing & Footwear
China
$106
Melbourne
$172 62% $66
Eating Out
China
$88
Melbourne
$314 257% $226
Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$73
Melbourne
$317 333% $244
Sport & Entertainment
China
$54
Melbourne
$87 60.2% $33
Getting Around
China
$27
Melbourne
$168 529% $142
Good to know
🇨🇳 China
🇦🇺 Melbourne
🕒 Local time
14:17 2:17 PM
17:17 5:17 PM
3 h ahead of China
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,442,965,000
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

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
Between locations
  • China Melbourne 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • China
  • 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

China vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,199
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$481
/mo nomad
Show more

Similar countries

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.
Cost of Living Index Most Popular Cities Affordable Cities by Size Current Prices by City Current Prices by Country World Clock Currency Converter
Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?