Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $764 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Hefei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $764 in Hefei.

Melbourne $2,821
Hefei $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,215 in Hefei.

Melbourne $4,235
Hefei $1,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,666 in Hefei.

Melbourne $5,650
Hefei $1,666

Living in Melbourne is roughly 269% more expensive than in Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Hefei is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.60 ¥17.37

570.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.83 ¥153

270.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.53 ¥30.27

175.06%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.67 ¥17.83

53.93%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.49 ¥3.27

524.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.27 ¥1.78

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.03 ¥6.88

851.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.98 ¥13.27

332.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.58 ¥10.59

-6.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.97 ¥13.14

49.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.79 ¥5.30

236.71%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.83 ¥12.22

202.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.84 ¥92.5

-24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$4.76 ¥31.85

102.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.55 ¥77.2

31.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.31 ¥15.44

72.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.68 ¥11.23

79.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.64 ¥10.95

89.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.54 ¥10.27

212.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.88 ¥5.90

244.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.99 ¥6.60

146.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.84 ¥5.59

192.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.66 ¥4.44

146.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.06 ¥20.47

1340.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$12.08 ¥80.8

5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.88 ¥5.88

529.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.90 ¥12.73

175.26%

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

$44.14 ¥295

211.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.17 ¥7.79

285.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.33 ¥2.18

312.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$3.54 ¥23.65

760.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.30 ¥8.69

13.08%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

52.45%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.9K ¥112.8K

56.92%

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

$234 A$336

$49.24 ¥329

374.57%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$9.03 ¥60.4

209.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$11.71 ¥78.3

376.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$15.74 ¥105

213.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$15.63 ¥105

37.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.43 ¥43.00

134.68%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$246 ¥1,645

863.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$8,528 ¥57.0K

254.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$90.9 ¥608

-12.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$32.82 ¥219

54.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$63.2 ¥422

90.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$98.4 ¥658

32.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$249 ¥1,662

607.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$180 ¥1,202

673.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$550 ¥3,679

534.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$332 ¥2,221

650.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,585 ¥24.0K

93.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,910 ¥12.8K

237.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,007 ¥6,734

335.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.15

87.30%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Hefei

$180 23.5% 87.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Hefei

$230 30.1% 40.1% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Hefei

$70 9.2% 77.9% $247

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Hefei

$78 10.3% 75% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Hefei

$128 16.8% 25.2% $43

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Hefei

$48 6.3% 70.6% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Hefei

$29 3.8% 64.1% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $249 in Hefei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 335% 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 $23.00 in Hefei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $230 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

9,369,881

💱 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Hefei 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 269% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 335% 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 $249 in Hefei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $764 in Hefei – a 269% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $764 in Hefei versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei 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 Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 269% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.