Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chuzhou and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Chuzhou
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Chuzhou Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Chuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Chuzhou vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chuzhou $685
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Chuzhou vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chuzhou $1,120
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $1,555 per month in Chuzhou vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Chuzhou $1,555
Melbourne $5,699

Chuzhou is about 76% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chuzhou sits 50% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.15

$17.50 A$24.86

-86.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$84.3 A$120

-73.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ¥31.65

$12.17 A$17.29

-60.89%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ¥15.31

$4.07 A$5.79

-43.49%

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

$0.53 ¥3.54

$3.18 A$4.52

-83.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$2.50 A$3.55

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$9.57 A$13.60

-95.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$8.25 A$11.72

-81.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.28

$1.50 A$2.14

2.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥13.75

$2.97 A$4.22

-30.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.57

$2.68 A$3.81

-68.66%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.80

$5.45 A$7.75

-75.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ¥70.3

$10.71 A$15.22

-1.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.03 ¥20.15

$10.05 A$14.28

-69.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.07 ¥60.4

$15.00 A$21.31

-39.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.88

$4.07 A$5.78

-48.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$3.14 A$4.46

-59.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.39

$3.12 A$4.43

-45.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.15

$4.73 A$6.72

-77.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.96

$2.98 A$4.23

-69.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.47

$2.49 A$3.55

-61.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$2.48 A$3.53

-64.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.46

$1.60 A$2.27

-67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.51

$44.65 A$63.4

-91.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.28 ¥88.4

$12.68 A$18.02

4.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥6.31

$5.55 A$7.88

-82.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.34

$5.18 A$7.37

-70.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$3.84 A$5.45

-91.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.20 ¥128

$139 A$197

-86.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ¥11.66

$4.36 A$6.19

-59.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$1.37 A$1.94

-70.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.09 ¥60.5

$29.72 A$42.23

-69.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.49 A$2.11

-11.41%

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

$19.3K ¥128.5K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-33.61%

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

$17.4K ¥115.5K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-32.40%

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

$55.5 ¥369

$236 A$335

-76.44%

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

$7.88 ¥52.4

$28.01 A$39.80

-71.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.43

$57.2 A$81.3

-87.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 ¥287

$48.39 A$68.8

-10.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 ¥107

$21.46 A$30.50

-25.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.41

$17.67 A$25.10

-65.65%

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

$441 ¥2,932

$2,461 A$3,497

-82.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ¥151.9K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-23.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.42 ¥289

$81.2 A$115

-46.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.55 ¥230

$49.28 A$70.0

-29.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 ¥431

$120 A$170

-45.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 ¥583

$131 A$186

-33.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 ¥1,683

$1,703 A$2,419

-85.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ¥1,095

$1,409 A$2,002

-88.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥4,032

$3,496 A$4,967

-82.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,503

$2,527 A$3,590

-85.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,018 ¥20.1K

$7,978 A$11.3K

-62.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 ¥13.3K

$6,900 A$9,805

-71.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

5.9

-42.03%

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

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chuzhou

$198 28.9%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 95.4% $189

Accommodation & Living

Chuzhou

$165 24%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 756% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Chuzhou

$104 15.1%

Melbourne

$171 6% 65.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chuzhou

$71 10.3%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 354% $250

Eating Out

Chuzhou

$69 10%

Melbourne

$312 11% 356% $244

Sport & Entertainment

Chuzhou

$55 8.1%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 51.6% $28

Getting Around

Chuzhou

$24 3.5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 581% $141

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in Chuzhou 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 Chuzhou versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $386 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chuzhou

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

3 h ahead of Chuzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,987,054

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 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 = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chuzhou Melbourne 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chuzhou
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

Chuzhou vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 316% more than Chuzhou, 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 $1,027 per month in Chuzhou 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 Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chuzhou and $84 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 $685 in Chuzhou and $2,849 in Melbourne. That’s a gap of about 316%.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Melbourne at $2,849. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 316% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.