Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cixi and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $725 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $725 in Cixi versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Cixi $725
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,145 in Cixi versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Cixi $1,145
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,564 in Cixi versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Cixi $1,564
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Cixi costs roughly 75% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cixi is 46% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.14

$17.75 A$25.51

-83.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 ¥146

$84.8 A$122

-74.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 ¥31.61

$12.16 A$17.47

-61.10%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥19.77

$3.93 A$5.64

-24.68%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$3.14 A$4.51

-85.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$2.43 A$3.49

-88.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$9.90 A$14.23

-90.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.64

$8.29 A$11.91

-75.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$1.55 A$2.22

19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$3.01 A$4.32

-46.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.37

$2.88 A$4.14

-67.01%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.28

$5.44 A$7.82

-71.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$10.59 A$15.23

20.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.11

$9.61 A$13.81

-67.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$14.99 A$21.55

-30.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.42

$4.15 A$5.97

-55.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.37

$3.05 A$4.39

-59.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$3.30 A$4.74

-55.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.41

$4.76 A$6.84

-76.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$3.04 A$4.36

-75.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$2.55 A$3.67

-64.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.71

$2.48 A$3.56

-77.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$1.63 A$2.34

-66.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.04

$44.07 A$63.3

-92.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 ¥72.0

$12.43 A$17.86

-13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$5.33 A$7.66

-85.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$5.16 A$7.41

-68.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$3.84 A$5.52

-92.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.62 ¥111

$142 A$203

-88.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$4.40 A$6.32

-67.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$1.40 A$2.02

-74.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.71 ¥44.85

$29.83 A$42.86

-77.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.55

$1.46 A$2.10

-22.60%

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

$19.7K ¥132.0K

$28.1K A$40.4K

-29.85%

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-34.00%

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

$44.63 ¥298

$233 A$334

-80.82%

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

$9.55 ¥63.8

$27.28 A$39.20

-64.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$57.0 A$82.0

-79.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 ¥283

$52.7 A$75.7

-19.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 ¥94.7

$22.62 A$32.50

-37.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 ¥40.49

$17.10 A$24.58

-64.56%

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

$333 ¥2,227

$2,373 A$3,411

-85.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$30.5K A$43.8K

-43.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.43 ¥290

$78.2 A$112

-44.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 ¥199

$50.5 A$72.5

-40.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 ¥486

$121 A$173

-39.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 ¥486

$133 A$191

-45.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,894

$1,713 A$2,461

-83.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,281

$1,402 A$2,015

-86.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 ¥3,929

$3,339 A$4,798

-82.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ¥2,448

$2,529 A$3,634

-85.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,000 ¥20.0K

$7,018 A$10.1K

-57.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,998 ¥13.4K

$6,767 A$9,725

-70.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,077

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.9

-34.07%

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

Last update for Cixi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cixi

$199 27.9%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 93.3% $186

Accommodation & Living

Cixi

$192 26.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 631% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Cixi

$98 13.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 74.8% $74

Eating Out

Cixi

$84 11.8%

Melbourne

$314 11% 272% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cixi

$66 9.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 381% $251

Sport & Entertainment

Cixi

$54 7.6%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 59.5% $32

Getting Around

Cixi

$21 2.9%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 702% $147

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $283 in Cixi and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Cixi vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $385 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Cixi

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

3 h ahead of Cixi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,829,488

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 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 →

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Between locations

Cixi Melbourne 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cixi
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

Cixi vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 293% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,088 in Cixi and $4,277 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $283 in Cixi versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $333 in Cixi versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $725 in Cixi versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $725 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cixi 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 Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 293% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.