Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Binzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Binzhou: $775 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Binzhou
Learn more

Binzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Binzhou

🇨🇳 China

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Binzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $775 in Binzhou.

Melbourne $2,821
Binzhou $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,224 in Binzhou.

Melbourne $4,235
Binzhou $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,672 in Binzhou.

Melbourne $5,650
Binzhou $1,672

Living in Melbourne is roughly 264% more expensive than in Binzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Binzhou is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.02 ¥20.20

477.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$17.67 ¥118

378.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.40 ¥29.44

183.18%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.69 ¥18.00

52.79%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.51 ¥3.39

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.30 ¥2.00

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.05 ¥7.03

833.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.55 ¥17.08

236.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.93 ¥12.91

-23.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.36 ¥9.09

116.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.04 ¥6.94

155.77%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.30 ¥8.68

326.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$16.40 ¥110

-35.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.42 ¥29.55

118.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.53 ¥63.7

59.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.47 ¥9.80

171.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.20 ¥8.00

151.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.69 ¥11.33

83.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.30 ¥8.70

270.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.68 ¥4.57

345.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.97 ¥6.47

151.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.93 ¥6.24

164.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.61 ¥4.05

167.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.76 ¥25.15

1072.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$14.72 ¥98.4

-13.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.03 ¥6.86

437.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.63 ¥10.91

220.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.93

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$17.01 ¥114

708.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.04 ¥6.95

333.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.45 ¥2.99

202.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$8.82 ¥59.0

245.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.27 ¥8.52

15.75%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.7K ¥131.7K

47.21%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.5K ¥110.4K

60.32%

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

$234 A$336

$67.8 ¥453

244.56%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$6.88 ¥46.00

305.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$7.89 ¥52.7

606.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$41.59 ¥278

18.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$14.50 ¥97.0

48.14%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.67 ¥37.90

166.14%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$368 ¥2,462

543.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

70.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$52.2 ¥349

53.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$47.93 ¥320

5.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$93.8 ¥627

28.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$89.8 ¥600

45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$296 ¥1,980

493.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$184 ¥1,232

653.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$624 ¥4,173

459.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$378 ¥2,529

559.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,388 ¥22.7K

104.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,677 ¥11.2K

284.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$567 ¥3,788

673.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.37

75.07%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Binzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Binzhou

$184 23.8% 86.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Binzhou

$223 28.8% 42% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 74% $235

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Binzhou

$83 10.7% 73.5% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Binzhou

$128 16.5% 25.7% $44

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Binzhou

$21 2.8% 86.9% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Binzhou

$53 6.8% 33.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $296 in Binzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 674% 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 $18.00 in Binzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $223 per month, with Binzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Binzhou

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,748,500

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Melbourne Binzhou 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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Binzhou

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 Binzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 264% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 674% 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 $296 in Binzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $368 in Binzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $775 in Binzhou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Binzhou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Binzhou 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 Binzhou 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 Binzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 264% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.