Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalian: $895 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Dalian versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Dalian $895
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Dalian versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Dalian $1,433
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,970 in Dalian versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Dalian $1,970
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Dalian costs roughly 69% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dalian is 33% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ¥24.25

$17.75 A$25.40

-79.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.88 ¥166

$84.8 A$121

-70.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.24

$12.16 A$17.40

-57.89%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.04

$3.93 A$5.62

-16.03%

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

$0.49 ¥3.30

$3.14 A$4.49

-84.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.67

$2.43 A$3.47

-89.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$9.90 A$14.17

-90.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$8.29 A$11.86

-81.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$1.55 A$2.21

2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.52

$3.01 A$4.31

-52.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$2.88 A$4.12

-64.58%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.61

$5.44 A$7.79

-70.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 ¥136

$10.59 A$15.16

92.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$9.61 A$13.76

-64.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ¥87.2

$14.99 A$21.46

-12.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$4.15 A$5.94

-68.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.52

$3.05 A$4.37

-62.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.90

$3.30 A$4.72

-41.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$4.76 A$6.81

-81.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$3.04 A$4.34

-73.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$2.55 A$3.65

-72.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥9.00

$2.48 A$3.55

-45.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.63 A$2.33

-61.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.08

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.55 ¥97.2

$12.43 A$17.79

17.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$5.33 A$7.63

-79.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.92

$5.16 A$7.38

-62.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$3.84 A$5.50

-91.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 ¥201

$142 A$203

-78.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$4.40 A$6.29

-65.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.40 A$2.01

-69.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥26.60

$29.83 A$42.69

-86.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$1.46 A$2.09

-13.70%

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

$19.6K ¥130.8K

$28.1K A$40.3K

-30.48%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$25.9K A$37.1K

-32.53%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$233 A$333

-72.60%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$27.28 A$39.04

-66.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.34 ¥89.1

$57.0 A$81.6

-76.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 ¥270

$52.7 A$75.4

-23.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.04 ¥241

$22.62 A$32.37

59.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 ¥45.75

$17.10 A$24.48

-59.94%

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

$393 ¥2,627

$2,373 A$3,397

-83.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.9K

$30.5K A$43.6K

-32.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 ¥504

$78.2 A$112

-3.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ¥367

$50.5 A$72.2

8.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ¥762

$121 A$172

-5.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ¥784

$133 A$191

-11.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥2,684

$1,713 A$2,451

-76.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,628

$1,402 A$2,006

-82.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥4,688

$3,339 A$4,778

-78.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ¥2,971

$2,529 A$3,619

-82.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,684 ¥17.9K

$7,018 A$10.0K

-61.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 ¥10.6K

$6,767 A$9,685

-76.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,090 ¥7,287

$4,228 A$6,051

-74.21%

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 Dalian: 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

Dalian

$244 26.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 475% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 61.4% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$163 17.8%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 5.7% $9.3

Eating Out

Dalian

$95 10.3%

Melbourne

$314 11% 232% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$86 9.4%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 268% $231

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 60.8% $33

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 381% $133

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $402 in Dalian and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 288% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Dalian vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $385 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

3 h ahead of Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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 →

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Between locations

Dalian Melbourne 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

Dalian vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dalian and Melbourne differ by about 219% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $2,852 including rent). Dalian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 288% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $402 in Dalian versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $393 in Dalian 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 61% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $895 in Dalian versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dalian 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 Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 219% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.