Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Hangzhou: $1,036 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Hangzhou

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

A single person spends $2,852 per month in Melbourne vs $1,036 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Melbourne $2,852
Hangzhou $1,036

A couple spends around $4,297 per month in Melbourne vs $1,557 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Melbourne $4,297
Hangzhou $1,557

A family of three spends $5,742 per month in Melbourne vs $2,078 in Hangzhou, rent included.

Melbourne $5,742
Hangzhou $2,078

Melbourne costs about 175% more than Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 113% above the global median, while Hangzhou is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$3.84 ¥25.65

362.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$25.60 ¥171

231.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.59 ¥30.70

164.92%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.41 ¥22.80

15.25%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.59 ¥3.94

432.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.31 ¥2.07

683.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.17 ¥7.81

746.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.27 ¥15.19

265.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.86 ¥12.41

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.60 ¥10.68

88.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.11 ¥7.43

159.46%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$2.06 ¥13.80

164.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$19.51 ¥130

-45.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$3.64 ¥24.32

164.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$10.13 ¥67.7

47.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.30 ¥15.34

80.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.36 ¥9.09

124.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.51 ¥10.11

118.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.60 ¥10.73

197.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.86 ¥5.73

253.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$0.99 ¥6.64

157.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.67 ¥4.47

270.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.53 ¥3.57

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$4.00 ¥26.71

1001.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$13.58 ¥90.8

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$0.75 ¥4.98

610.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.65 ¥11.03

212.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.59 ¥3.93

550.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$18.15 ¥121

679.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$1.91 ¥12.79

130.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.36 ¥2.40

288.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$7.22 ¥48.25

313.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.31 ¥8.74

11.45%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

44.30%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$18.2K ¥121.5K

42.70%

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

$233 A$333

$48.36 ¥323

381.08%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$9.79 ¥65.4

178.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$14.72 ¥98.3

287.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$52.2 ¥349

1.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$19.77 ¥132

14.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$7.30 ¥48.81

134.25%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$563 ¥3,765

321.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$36.1K ¥241.3K

-15.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$59.4 ¥397

31.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$42.16 ¥282

19.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$84.8 ¥567

42.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$109 ¥732

21.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$623 ¥4,165

174.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$386 ¥2,577

263.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,208 ¥8,071

176.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$672 ¥4,492

276.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$7,991 ¥53.4K

-12.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$3,678 ¥24.6K

83.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,582 ¥10.6K

167.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.5

68.57%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Hangzhou

$386 37.9% 72.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Hangzhou

$236 23.2% 38.8% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Hangzhou

$73 7.2% 77% $244

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Hangzhou

$99 9.8% 68.3% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Hangzhou

$133 13.1% 22.6% $39

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 85.6% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Hangzhou

$67 6.6% 23.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,713 in Melbourne versus $623 in Hangzhou. 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 167% 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 $26.00 in Hangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $236 – making Hangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

10,360,000

💱 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 Hangzhou 7,990 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 Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 175%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne and $1,555 in Hangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hangzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $26.00 in Hangzhou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hangzhou, where all-in costs run around $1,036, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Hangzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hangzhou – 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 Hangzhou. 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.