Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Harbin

For one person, living is cheaper in Harbin: $1,156 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
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Harbin Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,156

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Harbin

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $1,156 in Harbin, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Harbin $1,156

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,617 in Harbin, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Harbin $1,617

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $2,077 in Harbin, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Harbin $2,077

Melbourne costs about 144% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Harbin is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.21 ¥14.77

688.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.30 ¥149

279.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.31 ¥35.47

134.65%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.81 ¥18.81

46.26%

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

$0.26 ¥1.72

869.23%

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

$1.60 ¥10.73

435.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.09 ¥14.00

-29.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.97 ¥13.18

49.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.97 ¥6.50

174.23%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.40 ¥9.34

295.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.87 ¥59.3

18.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.61 ¥17.44

269.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$12.13 ¥81.1

25.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.57 ¥10.49

154.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.30 ¥8.70

132.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.28 ¥8.55

142.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.99 ¥6.60

386.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.54 ¥3.59

461.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.53 ¥10.22

59.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.46 ¥3.09

434.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.78 ¥5.20

108.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.55 ¥17.07

1628.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$17.80 ¥119

-28.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.58 ¥3.85

855.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.58 ¥10.58

231.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.31 ¥2.10

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$10.90 ¥72.9

1161.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.38 ¥9.21

226.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.29 ¥1.94

368.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$3.54 ¥23.65

760.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.28 ¥8.58

14.84%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.6K ¥131.0K

47.99%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.5K ¥103.9K

70.41%

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

$234 A$336

$77.8 ¥520

200.44%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.58 ¥97.5

91.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$12.19 ¥81.5

357.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$85.0 ¥569

-41.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$29.80 ¥199

-27.92%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.85 ¥39.11

157.95%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$297 ¥1,986

698.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.4K ¥69.4K

190.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$30.36 ¥203

163.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$29.31 ¥196

72.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.2 ¥476

69.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$304 ¥2,035

-57.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$317 ¥2,123

454.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$456 ¥3,052

204.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,349 ¥9,018

159.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$533 ¥3,561

368.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,192 ¥21.3K

116.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,326 ¥8,865

386.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$584 ¥3,903

650.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.92

50.51%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Harbin: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Harbin

$456 39.5% 67.2% $933

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Harbin

$209 18.1% 45.5% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Harbin

$105 9.1% 67.1% $213

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Harbin

$78 6.7% 75.3% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Harbin

$196 17% 14% $24

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Harbin

$15 1.3% 90.9% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Harbin

$97 8.4% 21.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $317 in Harbin. 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 651% 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 $22.00 in Harbin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $209 – making Harbin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Harbin

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

10:35 10:35 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

10,009,854

💱 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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Melbourne Harbin 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Harbin

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 Harbin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 144% more than Harbin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,733 in Harbin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $22.00 in Harbin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $1,156 in Harbin. That's a gap of about 144%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Harbin, where all-in costs run around $1,156, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Harbin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Harbin – 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 Harbin. 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.