Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Anqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Anqing: $643 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Anqing
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Anqing Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Anqing

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Anqing

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 Anqing actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $643 in Anqing, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Anqing $643

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,005 in Anqing, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Anqing $1,005

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,368 in Anqing, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Anqing $1,368

Melbourne costs about 339% more than Anqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Anqing is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.86

$2.68 ¥17.94

550.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$19.93 ¥133

324.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.77

$5.87 ¥39.20

112.27%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.86

$2.14 ¥14.27

92.06%

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

$3.06 A$4.36

$0.43 ¥2.88

611.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.59

$0.21 ¥1.40

1100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$13.98

$1.04 ¥6.94

842.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.23

$1.36 ¥9.07

530.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.12

$0.98 ¥6.54

51.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.20

$1.51 ¥10.09

94.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.79

$1.01 ¥6.72

163.37%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.90

$0.88 ¥5.90

529.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.00

$13.30 ¥88.9

-20.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.77

$3.62 ¥24.21

166.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.72

$11.67 ¥78.0

30.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.70

$2.19 ¥14.65

82.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.31

$1.26 ¥8.39

139.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.43

$1.46 ¥9.77

112.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.87

$1.14 ¥7.61

322.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.32

$0.78 ¥5.23

288.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.49

$0.82 ¥5.51

197.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.51

$0.38 ¥2.51

547.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.32

$0.38 ¥2.55

328.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$62.9

$6.57 ¥43.87

570.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.12

$11.83 ¥79.1

7.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.90

$0.74 ¥4.93

648.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.46

$1.50 ¥10.06

248.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$196

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.44

$0.93 ¥6.21

384.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.94

$0.24 ¥1.60

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.44

$3.00 ¥20.08

915.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.10

$1.23 ¥8.23

19.51%

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

$29.0K A$41.4K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

48.56%

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

$26.5K A$37.8K

$16.6K ¥110.6K

59.90%

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

$234 A$333

$57.8 ¥386

304.57%

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

$27.93 A$39.84

$8.67 ¥57.9

222.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.5

$8.71 ¥58.2

539.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.5

$75.3 ¥503

-34.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.64

$15.11 ¥101

42.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.53

$5.25 ¥35.08

187.43%

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

$2,371 A$3,383

$221 ¥1,475

973.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.1K

$11.8K ¥79.1K

155.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$25.01 ¥167

219.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.3

$21.19 ¥142

139.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$78.2 ¥523

54.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$186

$34.17 ¥228

281.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,509

$193 ¥1,289

812.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,982

$137 ¥916

913.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$4,984

$357 ¥2,383

879.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,557

$238 ¥1,591

947.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,881

$13.1K ¥87.6K

-47.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,194

$6,480 ¥43.3K

-0.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,252

$775 ¥5,176

465.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

96.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Anqing: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Anqing

$137 21.3% 90.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Anqing

$196 30.5% 49% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 76.3% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 76.1% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Anqing

$71 11.1% 58.4% $100

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Anqing

$2.1 * 0.3% 98.7% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Anqing

$86 13.4% 7.8% $6.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $193 in Anqing. 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 466% 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $20.00 in Anqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $196 – making Anqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Anqing

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,165,284

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 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 = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.626 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Melbourne Anqing 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Anqing

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 Anqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $643 in Anqing – roughly 339% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $964 in Anqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $20.00 in Anqing. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anqing, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Anqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Anqing – 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 Anqing. 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.