Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Anshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Anshan: $630 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 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 Anshan
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Anshan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Anshan

🇨🇳 China

$630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Anshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $630 in Anshan.

Melbourne $2,821
Anshan $630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,018 in Anshan.

Melbourne $4,235
Anshan $1,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,406 in Anshan.

Melbourne $5,650
Anshan $1,406

Living in Melbourne is roughly 348% more expensive than in Anshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Anshan is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.08 ¥20.59

465.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$18.82 ¥126

349.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.36 ¥29.16

185.78%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.49 ¥16.65

65.06%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.39 ¥2.58

684.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.23 ¥1.54

995.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.78 ¥5.25

1156.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.66 ¥11.09

416.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.77 ¥11.83

-16.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.29 ¥8.64

127.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.35 ¥2.37

660.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.06 ¥7.12

422.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.74 ¥58.4

20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$1.77 ¥11.82

445.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.11 ¥60.9

67.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.06 ¥7.11

276.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.17 ¥7.82

158.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.18 ¥7.88

162.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.17 ¥7.81

311.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.31 ¥2.09

877.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.89 ¥5.95

174.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.29 ¥1.94

748.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.43 ¥2.89

279.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.66 ¥24.45

1104.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.66 ¥51.2

65.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.77 ¥5.14

619.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.10 ¥7.38

375.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.94

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$17.75 ¥119

674.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.07 ¥7.13

321.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.16 ¥1.06

750.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$2.92 ¥19.53

942.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.06 ¥7.07

38.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.5K ¥130.6K

48.45%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.2K ¥101.9K

73.72%

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

$234 A$336

$29.30 ¥196

697.54%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.25 ¥48.47

285.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$14.66 ¥98.0

280.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$42.00 ¥281

17.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$15.17 ¥101

41.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.91 ¥39.53

155.33%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$221 ¥1,478

972.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$21.7K ¥144.9K

39.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$37.91 ¥253

110.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.24 ¥222

52.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$60.1 ¥402

100.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$70.2 ¥470

85.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$298 ¥1,996

489.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$184 ¥1,229

656.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$626 ¥4,187

457.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$380 ¥2,540

556.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,597 ¥24.0K

92.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,957 ¥13.1K

229.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$960 ¥6,418

356.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

195.00%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Anshan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Anshan

$184 29.2% 86.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Anshan

$152 24.1% 60.4% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Anshan

$51 8.1% 83.9% $266

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Anshan

$77 12.3% 75.4% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Anshan

$91 14.4% 47.2% $81

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Anshan

$21 3.3% 87.3% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Anshan

$54 8.6% 32.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $298 in Anshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 357% 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: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $19.00 in Anshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $152 per month, with Anshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Anshan

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

22:54 10:54 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,543,696

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Anshan 9,060 km ≈ 12 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 Anshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Anshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 348% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 357% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $298 in Anshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Anshan – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $630 in Anshan – a 348% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $630 in Anshan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Anshan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Anshan 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, Melbourne and Anshan 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 Anshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 348% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.