Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Guizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Guizhou: $598 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Guizhou
Learn more

Guizhou Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Guizhou

🇨🇳 China

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Guizhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $598 in Guizhou.

Melbourne $2,821
Guizhou $598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $964 in Guizhou.

Melbourne $4,235
Guizhou $964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,329 in Guizhou.

Melbourne $5,650
Guizhou $1,329

Living in Melbourne is roughly 371% more expensive than in Guizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Guizhou is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.66 ¥17.78

555.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$21.16 ¥141

299.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.83 ¥38.92

113.72%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.89 ¥19.31

42.21%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.50 ¥3.32

512.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.27 ¥1.81

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.78 ¥5.19

1156.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.85 ¥12.33

363.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.80 ¥12.01

-17.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.69 ¥11.28

73.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.79 ¥5.30

236.71%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.98 ¥13.21

179.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$7.27 ¥48.55

44.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.56 ¥30.46

111.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$10.96 ¥73.2

38.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.10 ¥14.00

90.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.62 ¥10.81

86.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.58 ¥10.54

96.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.41 ¥9.40

241.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.69 ¥4.59

339.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.78 ¥5.23

212.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.36 ¥2.40

583.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.58 ¥3.86

181.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.02 ¥20.17

1359.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.62 ¥50.9

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.85 ¥5.64

551.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.16 ¥7.78

350.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.35 ¥2.37

968.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$27.28 ¥182

404.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.52 ¥10.14

196.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.31 ¥2.07

338.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$5.09 ¥33.99

498.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.28 ¥8.56

14.84%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$18.5K ¥123.7K

56.58%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.6K ¥104.3K

69.52%

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

$234 A$336

$28.58 ¥191

717.63%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$6.52 ¥43.54

328.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$5.96 ¥39.77

835.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$22.00 ¥147

124.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$12.13 ¥81.0

77.08%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$7.30 ¥48.71

106.71%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$244 ¥1,631

870.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$11.1K ¥74.4K

171.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$33.87 ¥226

136.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$22.23 ¥148

128.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$73.8 ¥493

63.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$41.91 ¥280

211.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$267 ¥1,785

557.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$137 ¥912

917.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$385 ¥2,572

806.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$241 ¥1,609

934.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,816 ¥12.1K

281.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,106 ¥7,386

482.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$682 ¥4,550

543.09%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Guizhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Guizhou

$137 22.8% 90.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Guizhou

$191 31.9% 50.3% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Guizhou

$41 6.9% 87.1% $276

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Guizhou

$84 14.1% 73.2% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Guizhou

$77 12.9% 55% $94

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Guizhou

$32 5.3% 80.6% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Guizhou

$37 6.1% 54% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $267 in Guizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 543% 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 $21.00 in Guizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $191 per month, with Guizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Guizhou

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Guizhou 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Guizhou

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 Guizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guizhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 371% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 543% 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 $267 in Guizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Guizhou runs roughly 404% 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 $244 in Guizhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $598 in Guizhou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guizhou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Guizhou 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 Guizhou 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 Guizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 371% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.