Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Beihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Beihai
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Beihai Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Beihai

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $744 in Beihai, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Beihai $744

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,167 in Beihai, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Beihai $1,167

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,590 in Beihai, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Beihai $1,590

Melbourne costs about 279% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Beihai is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$3.40 ¥22.75

412.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$19.56 ¥131

332.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$5.58 ¥37.31

123.30%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$2.43 ¥16.28

69.14%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.46 ¥3.09

565.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.30 ¥1.99

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$1.22 ¥8.14

703.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$2.29 ¥15.34

274.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.90 ¥12.69

-22.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.70 ¥11.36

72.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$1.10 ¥7.33

141.82%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.87 ¥12.53

196.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$13.95 ¥93.3

-24.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$2.92 ¥19.54

230.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$10.58 ¥70.8

43.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$2.10 ¥14.03

90.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.48 ¥9.91

104.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.52 ¥10.19

103.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.27 ¥8.48

279.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.74 ¥4.92

309.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.97 ¥6.46

151.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.67 ¥4.47

267.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.50 ¥3.33

226.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.39 ¥22.70

1200.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$12.05 ¥80.6

5.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.74 ¥4.95

648.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.66 ¥11.10

215.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.30 ¥2.02

1146.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$17.17 ¥115

700.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.56 ¥10.42

189.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.31 ¥2.08

338.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$6.21 ¥41.53

390.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.39 ¥9.31

5.76%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$18.2K ¥121.6K

59.49%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$18.2K ¥121.9K

45.18%

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

$234 A$335

$61.5 ¥411

279.78%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$9.42 ¥63.0

196.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$12.09 ¥80.9

361.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$40.99 ¥274

20.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$14.01 ¥93.7

53.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$5.71 ¥38.20

164.27%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$458 ¥3,065

417.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$18.3K ¥122.6K

64.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$48.58 ¥325

64.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$38.03 ¥254

33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$79.9 ¥534

50.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$79.0 ¥528

65.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$279 ¥1,863

531.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$178 ¥1,190

680.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$718 ¥4,804

386.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$332 ¥2,221

650.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$3,665 ¥24.5K

88.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$2,221 ¥14.9K

190.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

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 10, 2026

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Beihai

$178 23.9% 87.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Beihai

$212 28.5% 44.8% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Beihai

$83 11.2% 73.8% $234

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Beihai

$87 11.7% 72.4% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Beihai

$110 14.9% 35.7% $61

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Beihai

$22 2.9% 86.9% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Beihai

$52 7% 34.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $279 in Beihai. 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 $20.00 in Beihai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $212 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Beihai

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,617,500

💱 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 Beihai 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Beihai

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 Beihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 279% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,116 in Beihai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 81% 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 $85.0 in Melbourne and $20.00 in Beihai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beihai – 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 Beihai. 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.