Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Hanzhong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanzhong: $692 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Hanzhong
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Hanzhong Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Hanzhong

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Hanzhong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $692 in Hanzhong.

Melbourne $2,853
Hanzhong $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,110 in Hanzhong.

Melbourne $4,275
Hanzhong $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,527 in Hanzhong.

Melbourne $5,697
Hanzhong $1,527

Living in Melbourne is roughly 312% more expensive than in Hanzhong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Hanzhong is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.75 ¥18.38

525.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$18.25 ¥122

355.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.53 ¥30.27

174.39%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.18 ¥14.55

85.78%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.40 ¥2.70

680.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.26 ¥1.74

846.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.53 ¥10.21

522.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.52 ¥10.19

436.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.45 ¥9.68

7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.67 ¥11.17

73.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.91 ¥6.10

192.31%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.43 ¥9.53

275.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$11.80 ¥78.9

-9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$4.17 ¥27.85

136.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$10.31 ¥69.0

48.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.68 ¥11.23

148.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.10 ¥7.35

186.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.28 ¥8.55

154.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.27 ¥8.52

274.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.65 ¥4.31

370.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$0.71 ¥4.72

247.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.63 ¥4.19

288.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.59 ¥3.96

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.44 ¥22.99

1213.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$9.81 ¥65.6

29.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.78 ¥5.18

629.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.75 ¥11.71

198.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.29 ¥1.91

1234.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$18.20 ¥122

680.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.24 ¥8.27

266.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.29 ¥1.91

389.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$4.58 ¥30.62

567.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.26 ¥8.46

16.67%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$19.1K ¥128.0K

50.79%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

45.91%

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

$235 A$338

$41.30 ¥276

469.27%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$5.82 ¥38.95

371.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$10.63 ¥71.1

428.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$40.88 ¥273

22.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$14.70 ¥98.3

46.19%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$5.10 ¥34.07

248.24%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$703 ¥4,703

239.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

72.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$38.35 ¥256

106.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$37.56 ¥251

31.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$73.8 ¥494

60.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$92.3 ¥617

43.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$293 ¥1,958

502.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$184 ¥1,227

669.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$637 ¥4,260

452.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$375 ¥2,506

573.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$3,538 ¥23.7K

101.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,918 ¥12.8K

231.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$588 ¥3,929

624.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.1

90.32%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Hanzhong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Hanzhong

$184 26.5% 87% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Hanzhong

$194 28% 50% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Hanzhong

$58 8.3% 81.9% $261

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Hanzhong

$75 10.8% 75.8% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Hanzhong

$109 15.7% 36.2% $62

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Hanzhong

$22 3.2% 87% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Hanzhong

$51 7.4% 40.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $293 in Hanzhong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 625% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $18.00 in Hanzhong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $194 per month, with Hanzhong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Hanzhong

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,416,196

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Melbourne Hanzhong 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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Hanzhong

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 Hanzhong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hanzhong wins on cost – living expenses run 312% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hanzhong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 625% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $293 in Hanzhong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $703 in Hanzhong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $692 in Hanzhong versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hanzhong but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Hanzhong 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 Hanzhong 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 Hanzhong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 312% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.