Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Baotou

For one person, living is cheaper in Baotou: $768 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Baotou
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Baotou Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Baotou

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Baotou

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $768 in Baotou, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Baotou $768

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $1,248 in Baotou, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Baotou $1,248

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $1,728 in Baotou, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Baotou $1,728

Melbourne costs about 271% more than Baotou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 111% above the global median, while Baotou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$5.26 ¥35.18

227.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$22.87 ¥153

263.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$9.50 ¥63.5

30.84%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.78 ¥18.56

45.68%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.47 ¥3.17

563.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.31 ¥2.07

693.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.13 ¥7.59

742.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.91 ¥12.77

327.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.87 ¥12.49

-16.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.59 ¥10.65

82.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.65 ¥4.35

309.23%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$2.48 ¥16.55

116.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$13.77 ¥92.1

-22.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.87 ¥25.86

154.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$12.26 ¥82.0

25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.90 ¥12.70

119.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.33 ¥8.87

136.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.50 ¥10.01

117.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.27 ¥8.52

274.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.75 ¥5.01

308.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.01 ¥6.76

144.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.58 ¥3.88

322.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.59 ¥3.93

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$4.28 ¥28.59

955.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$10.83 ¥72.4

17.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.86 ¥5.77

561.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.55 ¥10.34

237.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.31 ¥2.08

1148.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$16.41 ¥110

765.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.02 ¥6.85

345.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.35 ¥2.35

305.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$7.09 ¥47.38

331.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.16 ¥7.77

26.72%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$21.1K ¥141.2K

36.66%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$20.1K ¥134.6K

28.72%

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

$235 A$338

$58.0 ¥388

305.08%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$8.15 ¥54.5

236.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$9.65 ¥64.5

481.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$47.39 ¥317

5.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$15.49 ¥104

38.73%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$5.08 ¥34.00

249.61%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$371 ¥2,483

542.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

50.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$42.80 ¥286

84.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$36.08 ¥241

37.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$73.6 ¥492

60.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$88.4 ¥591

49.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$263 ¥1,758

570.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$173 ¥1,154

717.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$605 ¥4,042

482.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$380 ¥2,543

564.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$3,121 ¥20.9K

128.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$2,040 ¥13.6K

211.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$666 ¥4,454

539.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.36

75.60%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Baotou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Baotou

$173 22.5% 87.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Baotou

$217 28.3% 44.1% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Baotou

$76 9.9% 76.2% $243

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Baotou

$117 15.2% 62.4% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Baotou

$108 14.1% 36.5% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Baotou

$20 2.7% 87.9% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Baotou

$58 7.5% 32.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $263 in Baotou. 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 539% 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 $83.0 in Melbourne versus $23.00 in Baotou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $217 – making Baotou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Baotou

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

08:44 8:44 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,709,378

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Baotou 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Baotou

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 Baotou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne, $768 in Baotou – roughly 271% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $1,153 in Baotou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 79% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Melbourne and $23.00 in Baotou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Baotou, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Baotou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Baotou – 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 Baotou. 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.