Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Ankang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 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.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Ankang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Ankang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $725 in Ankang, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Ankang $725

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,132 in Ankang, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Ankang $1,132

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,540 in Ankang, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Ankang $1,540

Melbourne costs about 289% more than Ankang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Ankang is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$1.47 ¥9.81

1085.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$14.99 ¥100

464.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$2.91 ¥19.47

328.18%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$2.15 ¥14.40

91.16%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.43 ¥2.90

611.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.27 ¥1.79

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$1.50 ¥10.03

553.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$1.48 ¥9.87

479.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.47 ¥9.85

0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.70 ¥11.37

72.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.90 ¥5.99

195.56%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.49 ¥9.98

271.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$11.41 ¥76.3

-7.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$4.12 ¥27.53

134.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$10.36 ¥69.3

46.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$1.70 ¥11.35

134.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.15 ¥7.67

162.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.24 ¥8.32

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.26 ¥8.44

282.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.68 ¥4.52

345.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.69 ¥4.61

253.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.58 ¥3.85

324.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.55 ¥3.68

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.31 ¥22.16

1231.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$9.89 ¥66.2

28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.78 ¥5.19

610.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.68 ¥11.23

211.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.32 ¥2.12

1068.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$17.21 ¥115

699.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.25 ¥8.35

260.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.29 ¥1.93

368.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$4.36 ¥29.17

598.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.36 ¥9.08

8.09%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.3K ¥129.4K

49.91%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$17.5K ¥117.0K

51.29%

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

$234 A$335

$89.3 ¥597

161.56%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$3.26 ¥21.79

756.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$10.61 ¥71.0

425.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$44.85 ¥300

10.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$13.11 ¥87.7

63.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$5.68 ¥38.00

165.67%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$679 ¥4,541

249.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

75.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$39.44 ¥264

102.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$37.19 ¥249

36.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$74.4 ¥498

62.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$92.4 ¥618

41.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$299 ¥2,003

487.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$182 ¥1,220

661.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$616 ¥4,118

467.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$386 ¥2,583

545.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$3,279 ¥21.9K

111.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$2,225 ¥14.9K

189.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.35

76.12%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Ankang

$182 25.2% 86.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Ankang

$193 26.6% 49.7% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Ankang

$103 14.2% 67.5% $214

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Ankang

$60 8.2% 81.1% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Ankang

$110 15.1% 36.2% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Ankang

$21 2.9% 87.1% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Ankang

$56 7.8% 29.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $299 in Ankang. 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $15.00 in Ankang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $193 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Ankang

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

894,853

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Ankang 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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

Melbourne vs Ankang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 289%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,088 in Ankang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 699% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $679 in Ankang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – 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 Ankang. 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.