Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Fuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $762 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Fuzhou
Learn more

Fuzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Fuzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $762 in Fuzhou.

Melbourne $2,821
Fuzhou $762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,227 in Fuzhou.

Melbourne $4,235
Fuzhou $1,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,692 in Fuzhou.

Melbourne $5,650
Fuzhou $1,692

Living in Melbourne is roughly 270% more expensive than in Fuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.06 ¥20.47

469.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$23.06 ¥154

266.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.08 ¥33.98

145.28%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.50 ¥16.74

64.40%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.47 ¥3.12

551.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.27 ¥1.78

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.86 ¥5.73

1039.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.74 ¥11.66

392.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.06 ¥13.81

-28.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.41 ¥9.43

108.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.93 ¥6.23

186.02%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.55 ¥10.39

257.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.65 ¥51.1

37.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.18 ¥14.58

342.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$8.97 ¥60.0

69.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.80 ¥12.07

121.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.32 ¥8.81

128.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.68 ¥11.22

84.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.07 ¥7.14

350.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.84 ¥5.63

260.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.01 ¥6.75

141.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.44 ¥2.93

459.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.52 ¥3.49

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.01 ¥20.13

1364.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$10.99 ¥73.5

15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.72 ¥4.81

669.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.22 ¥8.13

328.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.93

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$23.66 ¥158

481.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.52 ¥10.14

196.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.29 ¥1.91

368.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.28 ¥48.68

318.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.25 ¥8.37

17.60%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

49.53%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.6K ¥104.1K

70.07%

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

$234 A$336

$43.17 ¥289

441.30%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.53 ¥57.1

227.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$8.94 ¥59.8

523.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$42.27 ¥283

16.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$14.76 ¥98.7

45.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$7.38 ¥49.31

104.47%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$209 ¥1,395

1036.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$12.1K ¥81.0K

149.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$39.90 ¥267

100.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$29.42 ¥197

72.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$90.5 ¥605

33.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$86.9 ¥581

50.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$458 ¥3,060

284.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$250 ¥1,672

455.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,038 ¥6,939

236.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$514 ¥3,438

384.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$4,514 ¥30.2K

53.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$2,346 ¥15.7K

174.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,006 ¥6,728

335.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.46

70.52%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Fuzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Fuzhou

$250 32.8% 82% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Fuzhou

$175 23% 54.4% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Fuzhou

$61 8% 80.9% $257

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Fuzhou

$80 10.6% 74.4% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Fuzhou

$111 14.6% 35.4% $61

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Fuzhou

$28 3.6% 83.1% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Fuzhou

$57 7.5% 28.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $458 in Fuzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 336% 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 $23.00 in Fuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $175 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

8,291,268

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Fuzhou 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Fuzhou

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 Fuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 270% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 336% 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 $458 in Fuzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fuzhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $762 in Fuzhou – a 270% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $762 in Fuzhou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Fuzhou 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 Fuzhou 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 Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 270% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.