Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $773 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $773 in Heyuan, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Heyuan $773

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,288 in Heyuan, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Heyuan $1,288

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,803 in Heyuan, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Heyuan $1,803

Melbourne costs about 265% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Heyuan is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.96 ¥19.80

488.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$29.81 ¥199

183.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.32 ¥35.58

134.21%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.02 ¥20.18

36.09%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.58 ¥3.91

427.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.36 ¥2.42

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.32 ¥8.80

642.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.62 ¥17.55

227.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.78 ¥11.91

-16.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.89 ¥12.64

55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.11 ¥7.41

139.64%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.57 ¥10.50

252.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$16.43 ¥110

-36.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$5.02 ¥33.53

92.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$12.03 ¥80.4

26.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.27 ¥15.16

75.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.24 ¥8.30

143.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.43 ¥9.55

116.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.78 ¥11.89

170.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.02 ¥6.82

197.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.18 ¥7.89

106.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.83 ¥5.53

196.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.65 ¥4.36

150.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.79 ¥25.37

1062.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$10.89 ¥72.8

16.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.06 ¥7.10

422.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.89 ¥12.62

176.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.30 ¥2.04

1146.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$17.06 ¥114

706.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.84 ¥12.32

145.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.40 ¥2.68

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.08 ¥47.35

330.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.39 ¥9.27

5.76%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.1K ¥127.5K

52.04%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

51.40%

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

$234 A$336

$61.7 ¥412

278.98%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.94 ¥107

75.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$14.72 ¥98.4

278.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$46.73 ¥312

5.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.69 ¥91.6

56.90%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.76 ¥45.19

123.22%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$414 ¥2,765

473.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$24.6K ¥164.6K

22.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.15 ¥329

62.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$41.72 ¥279

21.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$81.0 ¥541

48.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$69.5 ¥465

87.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$299 ¥2,002

487.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$159 ¥1,064

772.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$633 ¥4,231

452.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$395 ¥2,642

531.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,816 ¥25.5K

81.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,834 ¥12.3K

251.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,366 ¥9,135

220.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.38

74.56%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Heyuan

$159 20.6% 88.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Heyuan

$239 30.9% 37.8% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Heyuan

$92 12% 70.9% $225

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Heyuan

$91 11.8% 70.9% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Heyuan

$109 14.1% 36.8% $63

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Heyuan

$22 2.9% 86.5% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Heyuan

$60 7.8% 24.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $299 in Heyuan. 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 221% 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 $30.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,953,019

💱 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 →

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Melbourne Heyuan 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $773 in Heyuan – roughly 265% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,159 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 61% 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 $30.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heyuan – 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 Heyuan. 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.