Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Huzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Huzhou: $804 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 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 Huzhou
Learn more

Huzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Huzhou

🇨🇳 China

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Huzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $804 in Huzhou.

Melbourne $2,821
Huzhou $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,330 in Huzhou.

Melbourne $4,235
Huzhou $1,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,856 in Huzhou.

Melbourne $5,650
Huzhou $1,856

Living in Melbourne is roughly 251% more expensive than in Huzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Huzhou is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.37 ¥29.24

298.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$30.27 ¥202

179.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.38 ¥35.94

131.60%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.28 ¥21.91

25.30%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.61 ¥4.10

401.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.38 ¥2.54

563.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.23 ¥8.24

696.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.27 ¥15.15

277.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.78 ¥11.90

-16.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.97 ¥13.16

49.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.04 ¥6.92

155.77%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.72 ¥11.52

222.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$16.96 ¥113

-38.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.21 ¥21.48

200.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$12.93 ¥86.5

17.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.21 ¥14.80

80.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.65 ¥11.06

83.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.01 ¥13.46

54.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.67 ¥11.14

188.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.77 ¥5.12

293.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.94 ¥6.26

159.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.66 ¥4.43

272.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.59 ¥3.92

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.72 ¥24.88

1084.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$10.80 ¥72.2

17.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.89 ¥5.93

522.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.62 ¥10.81

222.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.91

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$16.29 ¥109

744.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.04 ¥13.64

121.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.47 ¥3.13

189.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$8.81 ¥58.9

245.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.28 ¥8.53

14.84%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.5K ¥130.3K

48.79%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.5K ¥124.0K

42.79%

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

$234 A$336

$56.6 ¥379

312.64%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.85 ¥52.5

255.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$10.59 ¥70.8

426.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$46.67 ¥312

5.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.48 ¥90.1

59.35%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.16 ¥61.3

64.74%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$425 ¥2,840

458.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$27.5K ¥183.9K

9.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$54.9 ¥367

45.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$37.32 ¥250

35.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$74.4 ¥497

62.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$104 ¥695

25.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$300 ¥2,006

486.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$181 ¥1,210

667.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$617 ¥4,122

466.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$409 ¥2,735

509.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,531 ¥23.6K

96.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,935 ¥12.9K

233.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,179 ¥7,884

271.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.36

75.60%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Huzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Huzhou

$181 22.5% 87% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Huzhou

$235 29.2% 38.9% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Huzhou

$75 9.3% 76.3% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Huzhou

$105 13.1% 66.6% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Huzhou

$122 15.1% 29.1% $50

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Huzhou

$22 2.7% 86.7% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Huzhou

$65 8.1% 18.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $300 in Huzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 272% 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 $30.00 in Huzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $235 per month, with Huzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Huzhou

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,893,542

💱 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 Huzhou 8,060 km ≈ 11 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 Huzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 251% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 272% 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 $300 in Huzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Huzhou – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $804 in Huzhou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Huzhou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Huzhou 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 Huzhou 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 Huzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 251% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.