Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,852 per month in Melbourne vs $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Melbourne $2,852
Guangzhou (Canton) $924

A couple spends around $4,297 per month in Melbourne vs $1,438 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Melbourne $4,297
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,438

A family of three spends $5,742 per month in Melbourne vs $1,953 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Melbourne $5,742
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,953

Melbourne costs about 209% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 113% above the global median, while Guangzhou (Canton) is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$3.02 ¥20.21

487.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$29.67 ¥198

185.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$5.32 ¥35.53

128.57%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.97 ¥19.83

32.32%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.58 ¥3.89

441.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.37 ¥2.49

556.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.17 ¥7.79

746.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.75 ¥18.41

201.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.91 ¥12.75

-18.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.83 ¥12.23

64.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.09 ¥7.30

164.22%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$1.52 ¥10.14

257.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$16.76 ¥112

-36.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.95 ¥33.07

94.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$12.20 ¥81.5

22.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.25 ¥15.04

84.44%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.23 ¥8.19

147.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.47 ¥9.82

124.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.78 ¥11.89

167.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.03 ¥6.86

195.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.17 ¥7.84

117.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.83 ¥5.56

198.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.65 ¥4.33

150.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.88 ¥25.93

1035.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$10.85 ¥72.5

14.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.05 ¥7.05

407.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.89 ¥12.61

173.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.47 ¥3.11

717.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$22.21 ¥148

537.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$1.83 ¥12.23

140.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.40 ¥2.69

250.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$7.02 ¥46.90

324.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.31 ¥8.75

11.45%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

46.68%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$17.6K ¥117.5K

47.51%

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

$233 A$333

$60.0 ¥401

287.49%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$16.00 ¥107

70.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$14.46 ¥96.6

294.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$68.9 ¥460

-23.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$12.04 ¥80.4

87.87%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$6.57 ¥43.94

160.27%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$1,471 ¥9,831

61.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$24.2K ¥161.5K

26.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$48.75 ¥326

60.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$41.61 ¥278

21.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$81.5 ¥545

47.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$70.4 ¥471

89.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$542 ¥3,623

215.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$276 ¥1,842

408.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,343 ¥8,974

148.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$472 ¥3,157

435.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$8,553 ¥57.2K

-17.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$3,459 ¥23.1K

95.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,265 ¥8,452

234.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.4

73.53%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30.1% 80.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$240 26.2% 37.7% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$90 9.9% 71.5% $226

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9% 71% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 11.9% 36.6% $63

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3.1% 83.4% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$82 9% 5.6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,713 in Melbourne versus $542 in Guangzhou (Canton). 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 234% 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $240 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Guangzhou (Canton) 7,540 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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne, $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 209% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne and $1,385 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), 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 $2,852 in Melbourne and $924 in Guangzhou (Canton). That's a gap of about 209%.

Public transport costs about 537% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $924, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guangzhou (Canton) – 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 Guangzhou (Canton). 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.