Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
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Bortala Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Bortala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $758 in Bortala.

Melbourne $2,849
Bortala $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $1,168 in Bortala.

Melbourne $4,274
Bortala $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $1,577 in Bortala.

Melbourne $5,699
Bortala $1,577

Living in Melbourne is roughly 276% more expensive than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Bortala is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.88

$2.99 ¥19.91

485.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$22.84 ¥152

269.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.30

$4.86 ¥32.39

150.41%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$2.79 ¥18.57

45.88%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$0.48 ¥3.19

562.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$0.32 ¥2.11

681.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.61

$1.11 ¥7.40

762.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$2.16 ¥14.37

281.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.87 ¥12.48

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$1.59 ¥10.60

86.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.82

$0.95 ¥6.31

182.11%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.76

$1.60 ¥10.69

240.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.23

$13.42 ¥89.5

-20.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.29

$3.36 ¥22.41

199.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

$11.29 ¥75.3

32.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.79

$1.89 ¥12.57

115.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.34 ¥8.90

134.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.51 ¥10.04

106.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.73

$1.26 ¥8.37

275.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.24

$0.75 ¥5.00

297.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$0.98 ¥6.51

154.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$0.59 ¥3.96

320.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.59 ¥3.90

171.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.5

$3.71 ¥24.75

1103.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.03

$11.52 ¥76.8

10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.89

$0.88 ¥5.89

530.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$1.55 ¥10.32

234.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

$0.28 ¥1.87

1271.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$15.99 ¥107

767.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.20

$1.57 ¥10.49

177.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$0.32 ¥2.15

328.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.26

$7.15 ¥47.68

315.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.17 ¥7.82

27.35%

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

$29.1K A$41.4K

$19.4K ¥129.3K

49.91%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$15.2K ¥101.1K

69.20%

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

$236 A$335

$57.1 ¥381

312.57%

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

$28.01 A$39.83

$8.48 ¥56.6

230.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.4

$11.13 ¥74.2

414.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$41.95 ¥280

15.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.52

$14.98 ¥99.8

43.26%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.12

$6.53 ¥43.50

170.60%

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

$2,461 A$3,499

$453 ¥3,021

443.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

53.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$42.79 ¥285

89.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.1

$30.92 ¥206

59.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$75.6 ¥504

58.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$68.3 ¥455

91.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,421

$291 ¥1,937

485.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$214 ¥1,424

559.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,971

$582 ¥3,881

500.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,593

$343 ¥2,286

636.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$3,687 ¥24.6K

116.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,812

$1,825 ¥12.2K

278.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

$625 ¥4,167

580.89%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 84.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 45.7% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 76.1% $244

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 72.8% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 42.9% $74

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 87.7% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 34.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $291 in Bortala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $23 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $210 per month, with Bortala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

246,706

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Melbourne Bortala 11,140 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Bortala

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 Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Melbourne is about 6.8 times higher, 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: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,849 per month in Melbourne versus $758 in Bortala – a 276% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bortala runs roughly 88% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

For families, Bortala is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Melbourne, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Bortala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.