Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Changchun

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $912 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Changchun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $912 in Changchun.

Melbourne $2,821
Changchun $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,335 in Changchun.

Melbourne $4,235
Changchun $1,335

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,757 in Changchun.

Melbourne $5,650
Changchun $1,757

Living in Melbourne is roughly 209% more expensive than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Changchun is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$2.95 ¥19.71

490.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$22.24 ¥149

280.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$5.19 ¥34.69

140.08%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$2.49 ¥16.66

65.06%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.48 ¥3.20

537.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.29 ¥1.94

768.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$1.17 ¥7.82

737.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$1.82 ¥12.19

370.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.90 ¥12.70

-22.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.22 ¥8.16

140.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$1.45 ¥9.72

83.45%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.84 ¥12.33

201.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$34.91 ¥233

-69.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$5.88 ¥39.33

64.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$10.55 ¥70.6

44.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$1.71 ¥11.44

133.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.46 ¥9.79

106.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.78 ¥11.88

74.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.90 ¥12.68

153.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.88 ¥5.87

244.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.61 ¥4.10

303.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.48 ¥9.89

10.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.65 ¥24.44

1107.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$20.59 ¥138

-38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.93 ¥6.21

495.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.14 ¥7.60

358.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.44 ¥2.92

750.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.23 ¥8.26

266.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.31 ¥2.11

338.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$2.93 ¥19.57

939.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.24 ¥8.30

18.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

48.12%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

47.44%

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

$234 A$335

$75.1 ¥502

211.08%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$4.52 ¥30.24

517.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$14.87 ¥99.5

274.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$38.44 ¥257

28.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$4.21 ¥28.18

410.21%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$6.86 ¥45.91

119.97%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$546 ¥3,650

334.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$21.4K ¥143.2K

41.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$74.2 ¥496

7.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$45.27 ¥303

11.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$60.9 ¥407

98.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$71.0 ¥475

83.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$218 ¥1,459

706.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$251 ¥1,679

453.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$575 ¥3,847

507.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$310 ¥2,073

704.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$1,661 ¥11.1K

316.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$1,015 ¥6,789

534.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

$965 ¥6,451

354.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

4.37

35.01%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Changchun: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Changchun

$251 27.5% 81.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Changchun

$315 * 34.6% 18% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Changchun

$95 10.4% 70.2% $223

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Changchun

$82 9% 74.1% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Changchun

$113 12.4% 34.1% $59

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5% 97.2% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Changchun

$52 5.7% 34.5% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $218 in Changchun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 354% 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 $22.00 in Changchun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $315 per month, with Changchun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

9,066,906

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Melbourne Changchun 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 209% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 354% 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 $218 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $546 in Changchun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $912 in Changchun versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun 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 Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.