Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Chita

For one person, living is cheaper in Chita: $1,009 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chita
Learn more

Chita Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Chita

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Chita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,009 in Chita.

Melbourne $2,852
Chita $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,597 in Chita.

Melbourne $4,297
Chita $1,597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,185 in Chita.

Melbourne $5,742
Chita $2,185

Living in Melbourne is roughly 183% more expensive than in Chita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Chita is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$12.58 ₽1,070

41.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$36.35 ₽3,090

133.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$6.18 ₽526

96.76%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$2.52 ₽214

55.95%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$1.25 ₽106

151.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.57 ₽48.22

326.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$1.66 ₽141

496.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$3.20 ₽272

159.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.09 ₽92.6

42.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$0.76 ₽64.9

296.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$1.53 ₽130

88.24%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$1.57 ₽134

246.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

$12.45 ₽1,058

-14.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$5.19 ₽442

85.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

$11.25 ₽956

33.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$1.55 ₽132

167.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$1.75 ₽149

74.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$1.86 ₽158

77.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$2.72 ₽231

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.84 ₽71.7

261.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$0.60 ₽51.0

325.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.32 ₽112

87.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.79 ₽67.5

106.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$2.64 ₽224

1569.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$8.32 ₽707

49.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

$0.87 ₽73.9

512.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$1.99 ₽169

159.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$0.53 ₽44.93

624.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$2.33 ₽198

88.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.32 ₽27.50

337.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

$5.75 ₽489

418.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.89 ₽75.3

64.04%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$36.4K ₽3.1M

-22.65%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$35.4K ₽3.0M

-26.61%

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

$233 A$334

$117 ₽9,940

99.00%

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

$27.28 A$39.19

$5.95 ₽506

358.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$8.28 ₽704

588.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$29.94 ₽2,546

75.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

$24.09 ₽2,048

-6.10%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

$5.45 ₽463

213.76%

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

$2,373 A$3,409

$379 ₽32.3K

525.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$5,889 ₽500.6K

417.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$80.6 ₽6,852

-2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$52.8 ₽4,485

-4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$115 ₽9,769

4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$114 ₽9,682

16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$437 ₽37.2K

291.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

$312 ₽26.5K

349.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

$879 ₽74.7K

279.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

$537 ₽45.6K

370.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$2,124 ₽180.6K

230.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

$1,326 ₽112.8K

410.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

$419 ₽35.6K

908.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

21.33

-72.34%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chita: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Chita

$312 30.1% 77.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Chita

$211 20.4% 45.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Chita

$131 12.7% 58.6% $186

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Chita

$171 16.6% 45.4% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Chita

$163 15.7% 5.3% $9.1

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Chita

$6.1 * 0.6% 96.4% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Chita

$41 4% 53% $46

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 $1,713 in Melbourne and $437 in Chita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 909% 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 $36.00 in Chita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $211 per month, with Chita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇷🇺 Chita

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

16:12 4:12 PM

2 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

333,679

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Chita 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Chita

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 Chita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Chita differ by about 183% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,009 including rent). Chita is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 909% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $437 in Chita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $1,009 in Chita – a 183% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,009 in Chita versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chita but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Chita 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 Chita 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 Chita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 183% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.