Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jiamusi

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiamusi: $718 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Jiamusi
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Jiamusi Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jiamusi

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jiamusi

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $718 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Jiamusi $718

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,134 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Jiamusi $1,134

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,550 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Jiamusi $1,550

Melbourne costs about 293% more than Jiamusi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Jiamusi is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.76 ¥18.44

531.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$21.28 ¥142

297.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.83 ¥32.26

157.97%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.03 ¥20.27

35.64%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.43 ¥2.87

611.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.29 ¥1.95

768.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.88 ¥5.91

1013.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.04 ¥13.67

320.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.81 ¥12.09

-18.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.55 ¥10.33

89.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.94 ¥6.29

182.98%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.54 ¥10.27

259.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.99 ¥86.9

-19.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.21 ¥21.48

200.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$10.32 ¥69.0

47.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.86 ¥12.41

114.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.25 ¥8.36

141.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.54 ¥10.28

101.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.13 ¥7.57

326.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.70 ¥4.71

332.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.92 ¥6.13

165.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.60 ¥4.04

310.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.52 ¥3.44

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.18 ¥21.24

1285.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$10.59 ¥70.8

19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.80 ¥5.34

592.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.60 ¥10.70

226.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.95

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$16.97 ¥113

710.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.42 ¥9.51

217.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.33 ¥2.20

312.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$6.81 ¥45.56

347.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.17 ¥7.80

25.64%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.4K ¥129.5K

49.78%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.0K ¥113.3K

56.18%

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

$234 A$336

$45.60 ¥305

412.46%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$9.70 ¥64.9

187.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$11.79 ¥78.8

372.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$41.75 ¥279

18.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.96 ¥93.3

53.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.01 ¥40.19

151.08%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$329 ¥2,202

620.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$16.9K ¥113.1K

78.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$44.13 ¥295

81.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$30.89 ¥207

64.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$70.6 ¥472

70.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$70.6 ¥472

84.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$278 ¥1,860

532.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$195 ¥1,305

612.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$600 ¥4,009

482.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$360 ¥2,408

592.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,015 ¥20.2K

129.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$2,059 ¥13.8K

212.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.89

51.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jiamusi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jiamusi

$195 27.2% 86% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jiamusi

$199 27.7% 48.2% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jiamusi

$67 9.4% 78.9% $250

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jiamusi

$84 11.8% 73.2% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jiamusi

$97 13.6% 43.3% $74

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jiamusi

$21 3% 87% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jiamusi

$54 7.5% 32.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $278 in Jiamusi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $21.00 in Jiamusi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $199 – making Jiamusi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jiamusi

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,156,505

💱 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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Between locations

Melbourne Jiamusi 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Jiamusi

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 Jiamusi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 293%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,077 in Jiamusi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $329 in Jiamusi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jiamusi, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Jiamusi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiamusi – 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 Jiamusi. 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.