Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lianyungang and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Lianyungang: $751 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Lianyungang
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Lianyungang Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Lianyungang

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $751 in Lianyungang versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Lianyungang $751
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,171 in Lianyungang versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Lianyungang $1,171
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,591 in Lianyungang versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Lianyungang $1,591
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Lianyungang costs roughly 73% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lianyungang is 44% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 ¥20.51

$17.43 A$24.97

-82.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.19 ¥122

$84.6 A$121

-78.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.41

$12.46 A$17.85

-64.69%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.68

$4.11 A$5.88

-32.12%

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

$0.53 ¥3.55

$3.06 A$4.38

-82.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$2.52 A$3.61

-88.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ¥7.06

$9.80 A$14.04

-89.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 ¥17.14

$8.57 A$12.28

-70.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ¥13.26

$1.48 A$2.13

33.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$2.94 A$4.22

-53.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.58

$2.66 A$3.80

-63.16%

Eggs

$1.33 ¥8.92

$5.54 A$7.94

-75.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.33 ¥109

$10.51 A$15.06

55.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ¥28.14

$9.65 A$13.82

-56.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 ¥66.3

$15.22 A$21.81

-34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$3.99 A$5.72

-70.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$3.02 A$4.32

-81.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$3.10 A$4.44

-70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.10

$4.82 A$6.90

-90.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$3.03 A$4.34

-77.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.10

$2.44 A$3.50

-81.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$2.46 A$3.53

-88.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.63 A$2.33

-73.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 ¥99.4

$12.70 A$18.20

17.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ¥7.12

$5.54 A$7.93

-80.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$5.23 A$7.49

-70.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$3.74 A$5.36

-91.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.00 ¥107

$138 A$197

-88.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.20

$4.51 A$6.47

-66.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.76

$1.36 A$1.95

-69.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.18 ¥61.4

$30.45 A$43.62

-69.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.47 A$2.11

-10.88%

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

$19.1K ¥127.6K

$29.0K A$41.5K

-34.21%

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

$16.3K ¥109.2K

$26.5K A$37.9K

-38.35%

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

$69.3 ¥464

$234 A$335

-70.33%

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

$6.81 ¥45.57

$27.93 A$40.01

-75.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.79 ¥52.1

$55.7 A$79.9

-86.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.04 ¥308

$49.40 A$70.8

-6.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.77 ¥98.8

$21.48 A$30.77

-31.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 ¥41.84

$15.09 A$21.62

-58.52%

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

$363 ¥2,427

$2,371 A$3,397

-84.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.3K

$30.2K A$43.3K

-41.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.72 ¥252

$80.0 A$115

-52.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.61 ¥245

$50.7 A$72.6

-27.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 ¥500

$121 A$173

-37.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ¥593

$130 A$187

-32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$1,759 A$2,520

-83.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ¥1,277

$1,390 A$1,991

-86.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥4,268

$3,494 A$5,005

-81.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ¥2,451

$2,493 A$3,572

-85.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.2K

$6,926 A$9,922

-49.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,794 ¥12.0K

$6,445 A$9,233

-72.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$593 ¥3,964

$4,383 A$6,279

-86.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

5.9

-42.88%

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

Last update for Lianyungang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lianyungang

$205 27.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 87% $179

Accommodation & Living

Lianyungang

$191 25.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 628% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Lianyungang

$107 14.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 60.5% $65

Eating Out

Lianyungang

$85 11.3%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 270% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lianyungang

$84 11.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 278% $233

Sport & Entertainment

Lianyungang

$59 7.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 35.9% $21

Getting Around

Lianyungang

$21 2.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 686% $143

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Lianyungang and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 639% 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: $18.00 in Lianyungang vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $384 per month, with Lianyungang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lianyungang

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:21 6:21 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

3 h ahead of Lianyungang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,393,914

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Lianyungang Melbourne 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lianyungang
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

Lianyungang vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lianyungang wins on cost – living expenses run 275% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lianyungang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 639% 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: $295 in Lianyungang versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lianyungang runs roughly 760% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $363 in Lianyungang versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $751 in Lianyungang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lianyungang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Lianyungang 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, Lianyungang 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 Lianyungang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 275% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.