Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jiaozuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $674 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
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Jiaozuo Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jiaozuo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $674 in Jiaozuo.

Melbourne $2,853
Jiaozuo $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,059 in Jiaozuo.

Melbourne $4,275
Jiaozuo $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,445 in Jiaozuo.

Melbourne $5,697
Jiaozuo $1,445

Living in Melbourne is roughly 324% more expensive than in Jiaozuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Jiaozuo is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$1.82 ¥12.16

845.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$16.41 ¥110

406.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.59 ¥30.70

170.81%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.48 ¥16.57

63.31%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.42 ¥2.78

642.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.26 ¥1.72

846.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$0.85 ¥5.71

1020.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.68 ¥11.22

385.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.68 ¥11.26

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.58 ¥10.60

83.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.69 ¥4.60

285.51%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$0.96 ¥6.40

459.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$8.43 ¥56.4

26.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$2.41 ¥16.11

308.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$8.26 ¥55.2

85.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.18 ¥7.87

253.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$0.98 ¥6.59

221.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$0.63 ¥4.20

417.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$0.57 ¥3.83

735.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.53 ¥3.55

477.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$0.47 ¥3.14

425.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.40 ¥2.66

512.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.73 ¥4.86

123.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$2.54 ¥17.00

1678.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$9.79 ¥65.5

29.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.68 ¥4.58

736.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$2.02 ¥13.50

158.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.31 ¥2.08

1148.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$17.86 ¥119

694.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.53 ¥10.25

196.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.31 ¥2.10

358.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$3.66 ¥24.48

735.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.98 ¥6.53

50.00%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$19.2K ¥128.3K

50.38%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.6K ¥117.4K

47.64%

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

$235 A$338

$60.1 ¥402

291.33%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$7.17 ¥47.97

282.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$9.16 ¥61.3

512.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$57.7 ¥386

-13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$15.04 ¥101

42.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$3.94 ¥26.37

350.76%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$177 ¥1,182

1248.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$21.6K ¥144.2K

37.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$43.93 ¥294

80.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$34.16 ¥228

44.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$73.3 ¥490

61.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$65.3 ¥437

102.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$296 ¥1,982

494.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$185 ¥1,238

662.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$622 ¥4,158

466.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$380 ¥2,541

564.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,585 ¥17.3K

176.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,965 ¥13.1K

223.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$566 ¥3,786

652.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.29

79.33%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Jiaozuo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Jiaozuo

$185 27.5% 86.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Jiaozuo

$158 23.5% 59.2% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Jiaozuo

$76 11.3% 76% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Jiaozuo

$68 10.2% 77.9% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Jiaozuo

$97 14.5% 42.9% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Jiaozuo

$22 3.3% 86.9% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.7% 23.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 652% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $16.00 in Jiaozuo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $158 per month, with Jiaozuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,539,860

💱 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 Jiaozuo 8,750 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 Jiaozuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiaozuo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 324% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 652% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $177 in Jiaozuo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 145% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $674 in Jiaozuo versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jiaozuo but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 324% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.