Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $813 in Dongguan.

Melbourne $2,821
Dongguan $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,291 in Dongguan.

Melbourne $4,235
Dongguan $1,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,768 in Dongguan.

Melbourne $5,650
Dongguan $1,768

Living in Melbourne is roughly 247% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Dongguan is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$2.57 ¥17.18

578.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$22.04 ¥147

283.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$5.26 ¥35.16

136.88%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$2.56 ¥17.14

60.55%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.47 ¥3.15

551.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.29 ¥1.93

768.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$0.92 ¥6.18

965.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$2.21 ¥14.80

287.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.60 ¥10.69

-7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.56 ¥10.42

88.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$1.03 ¥6.90

158.25%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.66 ¥11.12

233.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$20.79 ¥139

-49.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$3.44 ¥22.99

180.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$14.23 ¥95.2

6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$2.27 ¥15.17

75.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.57 ¥10.51

92.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.94 ¥12.95

59.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.42 ¥9.47

239.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$1.08 ¥7.19

180.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$1.24 ¥8.32

96.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.56 ¥3.72

339.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.55 ¥3.68

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$4.49 ¥30.04

881.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$11.89 ¥79.5

6.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.86 ¥5.76

544.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.75 ¥11.68

198.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.35 ¥2.35

968.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$22.79 ¥152

503.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.18 ¥7.91

282.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.39 ¥2.59

248.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$4.36 ¥29.14

598.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.28 ¥8.53

14.84%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.5K ¥130.7K

48.37%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$18.6K ¥124.6K

42.13%

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

$234 A$335

$63.8 ¥426

266.50%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$9.24 ¥61.8

202.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$13.08 ¥87.5

326.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$51.1 ¥341

-3.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$16.01 ¥107

34.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$7.67 ¥51.3

96.74%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$533 ¥3,566

344.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$24.2K ¥161.6K

24.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$46.76 ¥313

71.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$40.41 ¥270

25.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$73.3 ¥490

64.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$39.10 ¥262

233.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$372 ¥2,490

372.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$218 ¥1,459

536.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$662 ¥4,427

427.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$431 ¥2,883

478.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$5,714 ¥38.2K

21.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$3,066 ¥20.5K

110.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

$858 ¥5,736

411.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.35

76.12%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Dongguan

$218 26.8% 84.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Dongguan

$246 30.3% 35.9% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Dongguan

$86 10.6% 72.9% $231

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Dongguan

$79 9.7% 74.8% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Dongguan

$90 11% 47.7% $82

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Dongguan

$27 3.4% 83.3% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Dongguan

$66 8.2% 16.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $372 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 411% 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 Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $246 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

8,254,100

💱 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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Melbourne Dongguan 7,510 km ≈ 10 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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 247% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 411% 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 $372 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 503% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $533 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $813 in Dongguan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 247% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.