Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Linfen and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Linfen: $720 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Linfen
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Linfen Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Linfen

🇨🇳 China

$720

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $720 per month in Linfen vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Linfen $720
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $1,205 per month in Linfen vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Linfen $1,205
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $1,690 per month in Linfen vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Linfen $1,690
Melbourne $5,650

Linfen is about 74% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Linfen sits 47% below the global median, while Melbourne is 109% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.59

$17.43 A$25.08

-83.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.19 ¥148

$84.6 A$122

-73.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.79

$12.46 A$17.92

-58.27%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ¥20.12

$4.11 A$5.91

-26.76%

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

$0.50 ¥3.36

$3.06 A$4.40

-83.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.52 A$3.62

-87.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$9.80 A$14.10

-89.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$8.57 A$12.33

-79.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.47

$1.48 A$2.14

25.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.94 A$4.23

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.74

$2.66 A$3.82

-62.03%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.22

$5.54 A$7.97

-69.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 ¥95.1

$10.51 A$15.13

35.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.97 ¥19.83

$9.65 A$13.89

-69.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 ¥78.7

$15.22 A$21.91

-22.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.81

$3.99 A$5.75

-59.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.92

$3.02 A$4.34

-60.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ¥10.08

$3.10 A$4.46

-51.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.30

$4.82 A$6.93

-71.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.75

$3.03 A$4.36

-76.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.52

$2.44 A$3.52

-60.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$2.46 A$3.54

-76.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$1.63 A$2.34

-66.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥27.04

$44.07 A$63.4

-90.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.79 ¥78.9

$12.70 A$18.28

-7.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$5.54 A$7.97

-83.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ¥9.38

$5.23 A$7.52

-73.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$3.74 A$5.38

-91.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.49 ¥104

$138 A$198

-88.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ¥10.57

$4.51 A$6.50

-64.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$1.36 A$1.96

-75.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 ¥42.28

$30.45 A$43.81

-79.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ¥7.93

$1.47 A$2.12

-19.05%

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

$18.0K ¥120.4K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-37.91%

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

$18.3K ¥122.1K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-31.03%

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

$57.5 ¥384

$234 A$336

-75.40%

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

$8.82 ¥59.0

$27.93 A$40.19

-68.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.96 ¥73.3

$55.7 A$80.2

-80.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.28 ¥309

$49.40 A$71.1

-6.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 ¥92.1

$21.48 A$30.91

-35.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 ¥48.52

$15.09 A$21.72

-51.89%

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

$379 ¥2,537

$2,371 A$3,412

-84.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥131.6K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-34.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.14 ¥295

$80.0 A$115

-44.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.84 ¥226

$50.7 A$73.0

-33.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 ¥509

$121 A$174

-36.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 ¥509

$130 A$188

-41.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 ¥2,206

$1,759 A$2,531

-81.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 ¥1,069

$1,390 A$2,000

-88.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 ¥4,468

$3,494 A$5,027

-80.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ¥2,868

$2,493 A$3,588

-82.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,350 ¥22.4K

$6,926 A$9,967

-51.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,134 ¥14.3K

$6,445 A$9,274

-66.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

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 Linfen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Linfen

$211 29.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 81.8% $173

Accommodation & Living

Linfen

$160 22.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 769% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Linfen

$104 14.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 65.8% $68

Eating Out

Linfen

$87 12.1%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 261% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Linfen

$77 10.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 311% $240

Sport & Entertainment

Linfen

$61 8.4%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 30.9% $19

Getting Around

Linfen

$20 2.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 717% $144

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $330 in Linfen 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Linfen versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $384 – making Linfen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Linfen

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

3 h ahead of Linfen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,000

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 →

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Between locations

Linfen Melbourne 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Linfen
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

Linfen vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 292%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,080 per month in Linfen 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 Linfen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $720 in Linfen and $2,821 in Melbourne. That's a gap of about 292%.

Public transport costs about 788% less in Linfen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Linfen, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Linfen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Linfen – 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 Linfen. 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.