Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Chang-hua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $864 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Chang-hua $864

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,343 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Chang-hua $1,343

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,822 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Chang-hua $1,822

Melbourne costs about 226% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Chang-hua is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.83 NT$124

355.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$32.76 NT$1,062

158.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.53 NT$179

125.32%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.63 NT$52.7

152.15%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.96 NT$30.99

218.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.56 NT$18.01

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.36 NT$44.21

620.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.17 NT$70.3

294.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.38 NT$77.1

-37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.07 NT$67.2

42.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.94 NT$95.5

-9.52%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.76 NT$89.5

100.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$16.19 NT$525

-35.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$9.51 NT$308

1.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$21.23 NT$688

-28.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.82 NT$156

-17.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$3.38 NT$110

-10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.93 NT$95.1

5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.17 NT$103

52.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.77 NT$89.8

9.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.11 NT$68.4

15.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.69 NT$54.9

45.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.77 NT$24.97

111.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.96 NT$128

1012.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.43 NT$306

34.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.38 NT$44.70

301.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.29 NT$74.4

128.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$1.55 NT$50.4

141.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$34.80 NT$1,129

295.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.65 NT$85.9

70.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.76 NT$24.71

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.29 NT$301

227.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.06 NT$34.39

38.68%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-12.48%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$24.3K NT$787.5K

9.02%

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

$234 A$336

$31.62 NT$1,025

639.03%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$16.99 NT$551

64.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$18.71 NT$607

197.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$31.75 NT$1,029

55.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.38 NT$304

60.87%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$636 NT$20.6K

272.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,946 NT$257.7K

280.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.35 NT$1,600

62.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$15.47 NT$502

227.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$78.1 NT$2,534

54.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$49.57 NT$1,607

163.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$252 NT$8,160

599.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$170 NT$5,528

715.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$509 NT$16.5K

586.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$169 NT$5,480

1375.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,959 NT$96.0K

134.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,631 NT$52.9K

295.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,011 NT$65.2K

117.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.2

168.18%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Chang-hua

$170 19.7% 87.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Chang-hua

$358 41.4% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Chang-hua

$67 7.8% 78.8% $250

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Chang-hua

$84 9.7% 73.3% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Chang-hua

$87 10% 49.6% $85

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Chang-hua

$47 5.5% 71% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Chang-hua

$51 5.8% 36.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $252 in Chang-hua. 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 118% 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 $85.0 in Melbourne versus $33.00 in Chang-hua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $358 – making Chang-hua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

09:28 9:28 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

226,564

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Chang-hua 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 226% more than Chang-hua, 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 $1,296 in Chang-hua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $864 in Chang-hua. That's a gap of about 226%.

Public transport costs about 295% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – 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 Chang-hua. 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.