Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lhasa and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $733 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
Learn more

Lhasa Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $733 in Lhasa versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Lhasa $733
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,192 in Lhasa versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Lhasa $1,192
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,651 in Lhasa versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Lhasa $1,651
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Lhasa costs roughly 74% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lhasa is 46% below, Melbourne is 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.26

$17.20 A$24.75

-73.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.37 ¥203

$83.1 A$120

-63.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ¥50.3

$12.43 A$17.88

-39.50%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.69

$4.05 A$5.82

-31.11%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$3.12 A$4.50

-86.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.04

$2.46 A$3.54

-87.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$9.52 A$13.71

-84.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.80

$8.16 A$11.74

-74.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.93

$1.56 A$2.25

14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$2.90 A$4.18

-43.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.39

$2.66 A$3.82

-63.91%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.26

$5.37 A$7.72

-68.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 ¥47.89

$10.67 A$15.36

-32.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$9.85 A$14.17

-70.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 ¥73.3

$15.36 A$22.11

-28.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ¥12.57

$4.17 A$6.00

-54.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$3.15 A$4.53

-59.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$3.26 A$4.69

-52.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$4.76 A$6.85

-73.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$3.06 A$4.41

-77.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$2.47 A$3.55

-61.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$2.45 A$3.52

-76.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$1.63 A$2.34

-66.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$45.17 A$65.0

-91.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 ¥78.7

$12.68 A$18.25

-7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$5.69 A$8.18

-84.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$5.23 A$7.53

-70.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$3.87 A$5.57

-92.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 ¥119

$142 A$204

-87.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$4.54 A$6.53

-68.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$1.42 A$2.04

-76.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$30.59 A$44.01

-77.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.47 A$2.11

-14.97%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$28.9K A$41.5K

-32.51%

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

$17.2K ¥114.7K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-33.82%

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

$57.0 ¥381

$235 A$338

-75.74%

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

$8.51 ¥56.9

$27.45 A$39.51

-69.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.05 ¥73.9

$56.1 A$80.8

-80.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥282

$50.1 A$72.1

-15.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.97 ¥100

$21.49 A$30.93

-30.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.33

$17.76 A$25.56

-63.51%

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

$413 ¥2,762

$2,385 A$3,432

-82.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-40.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.14 ¥295

$79.2 A$114

-44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 ¥221

$49.49 A$71.2

-33.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$118 A$170

-37.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ¥507

$132 A$190

-42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,965

$1,763 A$2,537

-83.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,223

$1,411 A$2,031

-87.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,174

$3,522 A$5,069

-82.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,508

$2,525 A$3,634

-85.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,432 ¥22.9K

$7,136 A$10.3K

-51.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,929 ¥12.9K

$6,355 A$9,144

-69.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,127 ¥14.2K

$4,258 A$6,128

-50.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.9

-43.05%

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

Last update for Lhasa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lhasa

$188 25.6%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 107% $201

Accommodation & Living

Lhasa

$183 24.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 672% $1.2K

Eating Out

Lhasa

$107 14.6%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 190% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Lhasa

$102 13.9%

Melbourne

$171 6% 67.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lhasa

$77 10.5%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 316% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Lhasa

$55 7.5%

Melbourne

$86 3% 55.4% $31

Getting Around

Lhasa

$22 3%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 665% $147

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Lhasa and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 100% 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: $30.00 in Lhasa vs $83.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $388 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

3 h ahead of Lhasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

867,891

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lhasa Melbourne 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lhasa
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

Lhasa vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lhasa and Melbourne differ by about 289% in total monthly costs ($733 vs $2,853 including rent). Lhasa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 100% 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: $294 in Lhasa versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $83.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $733 in Lhasa versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa 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, Lhasa 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 Lhasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 289% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.