Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harbin and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,156 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
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Harbin Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,156

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,156 per month in Harbin vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Harbin $1,156
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,617 per month in Harbin vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Harbin $1,617
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Harbin vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Harbin $2,077
Melbourne $5,650

Harbin is about 59% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Harbin sits 14% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.77

$17.43 A$25.08

-87.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.30 ¥149

$84.6 A$122

-73.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.47

$12.46 A$17.92

-57.38%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.81

$4.11 A$5.91

-31.63%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$3.06 A$4.40

-84.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$2.52 A$3.62

-89.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$9.80 A$14.10

-91.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$8.57 A$12.33

-81.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.00

$1.48 A$2.14

41.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.18

$2.94 A$4.23

-32.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$2.66 A$3.82

-63.53%

Eggs

$1.40 ¥9.34

$5.54 A$7.97

-74.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$10.51 A$15.13

-15.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ¥17.44

$9.65 A$13.89

-72.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 ¥81.1

$15.22 A$21.91

-20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.49

$3.99 A$5.75

-60.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$3.02 A$4.34

-56.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$3.10 A$4.46

-58.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$4.82 A$6.93

-79.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$3.03 A$4.36

-82.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$2.44 A$3.52

-37.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$2.46 A$3.54

-81.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$1.63 A$2.34

-52.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 ¥17.07

$44.07 A$63.4

-94.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.80 ¥119

$12.70 A$18.28

40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$5.54 A$7.97

-89.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.58

$5.23 A$7.52

-69.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$3.74 A$5.38

-91.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.90 ¥72.9

$138 A$198

-92.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$4.51 A$6.50

-69.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.36 A$1.96

-78.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$30.45 A$43.81

-88.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$1.47 A$2.12

-12.93%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-32.43%

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

$15.5K ¥103.9K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-41.32%

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

$77.8 ¥520

$234 A$336

-66.72%

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

$14.58 ¥97.5

$27.93 A$40.19

-47.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 ¥81.5

$55.7 A$80.2

-78.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.0 ¥569

$49.40 A$71.1

72.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.80 ¥199

$21.48 A$30.91

38.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.11

$15.09 A$21.72

-61.23%

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

$297 ¥1,986

$2,371 A$3,412

-87.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K ¥69.4K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-65.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.36 ¥203

$80.0 A$115

-62.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 ¥196

$50.7 A$73.0

-42.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥476

$121 A$174

-40.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$304 ¥2,035

$130 A$188

133.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥2,123

$1,759 A$2,531

-81.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,052

$1,390 A$2,000

-67.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ¥9,018

$3,494 A$5,027

-61.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,561

$2,493 A$3,588

-78.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,192 ¥21.3K

$6,926 A$9,967

-53.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,326 ¥8,865

$6,445 A$9,274

-79.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 ¥3,903

$4,383 A$6,307

-86.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

5.9

-33.56%

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

Last update for Harbin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harbin

$456 39.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 205% $933

Groceries & Markets

Harbin

$209 18.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 83.4% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Harbin

$196 17%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 12.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harbin

$105 9.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 204% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Harbin

$97 8.4%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 17.7% $17

Eating Out

Harbin

$78 6.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 305% $237

Getting Around

Harbin

$15 1.3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 993% $149

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Harbin versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 651% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Harbin versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $384 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Harbin

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

3 h ahead of Harbin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,009,854

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Harbin Melbourne 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Harbin
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

Harbin vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 144% more than Harbin, 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 $1,733 per month in Harbin and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Harbin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Harbin and $85.0 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 $1,156 in Harbin and $2,821 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 144%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Harbin, where all-in costs run around $1,156, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Harbin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Harbin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.