Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hohhot and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Hohhot: $725 a month against $2,853 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 Hohhot
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Hohhot Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Hohhot

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $725 per month in Hohhot vs $2,853 in Melbourne, rent included.

Hohhot $725
Melbourne $2,853

A couple spends around $1,133 per month in Hohhot vs $4,275 in Melbourne, rent included.

Hohhot $1,133
Melbourne $4,275

A family of three spends $1,542 per month in Hohhot vs $5,697 in Melbourne, rent included.

Hohhot $1,542
Melbourne $5,697

Hohhot is about 75% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hohhot sits 47% below the global median, while Melbourne is 111% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 ¥22.90

$17.20 A$24.75

-80.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.14 ¥148

$83.1 A$120

-73.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.61 ¥57.5

$12.43 A$17.88

-30.73%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ¥24.57

$4.05 A$5.82

-9.38%

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

$0.46 ¥3.05

$3.12 A$4.50

-85.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$2.46 A$3.54

-87.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.17

$9.52 A$13.71

-87.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥13.82

$8.16 A$11.74

-74.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ¥15.41

$1.56 A$2.25

48.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥8.59

$2.90 A$4.18

-55.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$2.66 A$3.82

-56.02%

Eggs

$1.46 ¥9.79

$5.37 A$7.72

-72.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 ¥89.8

$10.67 A$15.36

25.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 ¥20.91

$9.85 A$14.17

-68.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 ¥85.6

$15.36 A$22.11

-16.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$4.17 A$6.00

-51.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$3.15 A$4.53

-61.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$3.26 A$4.69

-46.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$4.76 A$6.85

-84.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$3.06 A$4.41

-82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$2.47 A$3.55

-64.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$2.45 A$3.52

-75.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.04

$1.63 A$2.34

-71.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 ¥37.17

$45.17 A$65.0

-87.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ¥51.4

$12.68 A$18.25

-39.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$5.69 A$8.18

-83.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.24

$5.23 A$7.53

-65.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ¥1.15

$3.87 A$5.57

-95.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.58 ¥118

$142 A$204

-87.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$4.54 A$6.53

-74.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.54

$1.42 A$2.04

-83.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ¥21.39

$30.59 A$44.01

-89.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.47 A$2.11

-14.29%

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

$15.7K ¥105.3K

$28.9K A$41.5K

-45.43%

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

$15.9K ¥106.6K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-38.49%

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

$54.9 ¥367

$235 A$338

-76.64%

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

$6.29 ¥42.08

$27.45 A$39.51

-77.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥74.0

$56.1 A$80.8

-80.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.07 ¥228

$50.1 A$72.1

-32.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 ¥115

$21.49 A$30.93

-20.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ¥34.21

$17.76 A$25.56

-71.17%

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

$409 ¥2,735

$2,385 A$3,432

-82.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K ¥162.4K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-18.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 ¥406

$79.2 A$114

-23.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.14 ¥175

$49.49 A$71.2

-47.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ¥556

$118 A$170

-29.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ¥496

$132 A$190

-43.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$205 ¥1,371

$1,763 A$2,537

-88.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,090

$1,411 A$2,031

-88.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,225

$3,522 A$5,069

-90.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ¥1,788

$2,525 A$3,634

-89.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,696 ¥11.3K

$7,136 A$10.3K

-76.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,105 ¥7,386

$6,355 A$9,144

-82.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$933 ¥6,235

$4,258 A$6,128

-78.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

5.9

-36.44%

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

Last update for Hohhot: October 18, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hohhot

$204 28.1%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 90.5% $185

Accommodation & Living

Hohhot

$163 22.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 766% $1.2K

Eating Out

Hohhot

$111 15.3%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 180% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Hohhot

$110 15.2%

Melbourne

$171 6% 55.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hohhot

$72 10%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 341% $246

Sport & Entertainment

Hohhot

$44 6.1%

Melbourne

$86 3% 93.3% $41

Getting Around

Hohhot

$21 2.8%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 722% $148

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $205 in Hohhot versus $1,763 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 357% 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 Hohhot versus $83.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $388 – making Hohhot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hohhot

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

3 h ahead of Hohhot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,446,100

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Hohhot Melbourne 9,380 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hohhot
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

Hohhot vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $725 in Hohhot, $2,853 in Melbourne – roughly 294% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,087 per month in Hohhot and $4,280 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 91% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Hohhot and $83.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hohhot, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Hohhot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hohhot – 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 Hohhot. 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.