Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $513 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jiangmen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $513 in Jiangmen.

Melbourne $2,821
Jiangmen $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $998 in Jiangmen.

Melbourne $4,235
Jiangmen $998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,483 in Jiangmen.

Melbourne $5,650
Jiangmen $1,483

Living in Melbourne is roughly 449% more expensive than in Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Jiangmen is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.29 ¥21.97

429.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$30.07 ¥201

181.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.31 ¥35.49

134.65%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.30 ¥15.38

78.70%

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

$0.31 ¥2.08

712.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.91 ¥6.09

976.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.46 ¥9.79

486.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.60 ¥10.71

-7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.63 ¥10.89

80.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.07 ¥7.12

148.60%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.77 ¥11.86

212.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$21.48 ¥144

-51.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.28 ¥15.27

323.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$13.38 ¥89.5

13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.16 ¥14.47

84.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.89 ¥5.94

239.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.17 ¥7.80

164.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.43 ¥9.57

237.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.64 ¥4.28

373.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.93 ¥6.25

162.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.29 ¥1.93

748.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.55 ¥3.65

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.06 ¥20.45

1340.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$12.19 ¥81.5

4.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.69 ¥4.63

702.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.76 ¥11.74

197.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.44 ¥2.93

750.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.41 ¥9.41

219.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.39 ¥2.60

248.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.09 ¥47.43

329.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.34 ¥8.97

9.70%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.8K ¥132.2K

46.65%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

60.17%

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

$234 A$336

$49.45 ¥331

372.56%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.60 ¥57.5

224.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$12.27 ¥82.1

354.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$30.28 ¥202

63.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$4.51 ¥30.19

376.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.49 ¥43.40

132.51%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$251 ¥1,676

845.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,533 ¥50.4K

300.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$30.21 ¥202

164.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$39.86 ¥266

27.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.5 ¥485

66.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$44.20 ¥296

195.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$444 ¥2,968

687.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$273 ¥1,826

813.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$6,098 ¥40.8K

13.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,223 ¥8,178

426.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$592 ¥3,957

640.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.35

76.12%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jiangmen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jiangmen

$230 44.9% 40% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jiangmen

$70 13.7% 77.8% $247

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jiangmen

$80 15.6% 74.5% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jiangmen

$84 16.4% 51.1% $88

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jiangmen

$5.1 * 1% 96.9% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 45.6% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 641% 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 Jiangmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $230 per month, with Jiangmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,448,871

💱 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 Jiangmen 7,500 km ≈ 10 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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Jiangmen differ by about 449% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $513 including rent). Jiangmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 641% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $251 in Jiangmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiangmen – 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 $513 in Jiangmen versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 449% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.