Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jiaxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaxing: $632 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Jiaxing
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Jiaxing Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jiaxing

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jiaxing

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $632 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Jiaxing $632

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,070 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Jiaxing $1,070

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,507 in Jiaxing, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Jiaxing $1,507

Melbourne costs about 346% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Jiaxing is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$3.05 ¥20.40

471.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$22.17 ¥148

281.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$4.41 ¥29.46

182.54%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$3.03 ¥20.28

35.64%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.48 ¥3.18

537.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.29 ¥1.93

768.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$0.78 ¥5.23

1156.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$2.27 ¥15.17

277.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.90 ¥12.70

-22.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.95 ¥13.06

50.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.59 ¥3.93

350.85%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.92 ¥12.81

188.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$7.45 ¥49.79

41.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$3.31 ¥22.13

191.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$7.51 ¥50.2

102.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$1.60 ¥10.67

149.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.14 ¥7.65

164.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$0.93 ¥6.25

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$0.68 ¥4.57

608.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.59 ¥3.93

413.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.87 ¥5.79

180.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.50 ¥3.37

392.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.55 ¥3.65

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$5.13 ¥34.27

759.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$11.85 ¥79.3

7.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.79 ¥5.27

601.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.31 ¥8.77

299.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.21 ¥1.40

1680.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$16.27 ¥109

745.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.17 ¥7.80

285.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.42 ¥2.83

223.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$7.66 ¥51.2

297.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.26 ¥8.40

16.67%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.5K ¥130.7K

48.37%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$19.4K ¥130.0K

36.24%

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

$234 A$335

$36.33 ¥243

543.21%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$11.38 ¥76.1

145.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$5.30 ¥35.47

951.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$37.96 ¥254

30.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$7.30 ¥48.80

194.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$5.15 ¥34.43

193.01%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$430 ¥2,877

451.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$12.6K ¥84.0K

140.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$35.13 ¥235

127.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$21.43 ¥143

136.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$63.5 ¥425

89.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$45.38 ¥303

187.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$282 ¥1,884

524.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$176 ¥1,179

688.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$743 ¥4,972

369.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$455 ¥3,040

448.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$3,818 ¥25.5K

81.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$2,051 ¥13.7K

214.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

$737 ¥4,927

494.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.13

88.50%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jiaxing: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jiaxing

$176 27.9% 87.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jiaxing

$174 27.6% 54.6% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jiaxing

$53 8.4% 83.3% $264

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jiaxing

$86 13.5% 72.8% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jiaxing

$74 11.8% 56.6% $97

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jiaxing

$20 3.2% 87.6% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jiaxing

$48 7.6% 39.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $282 in Jiaxing. 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 495% 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 $22.00 in Jiaxing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $174 – making Jiaxing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jiaxing

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,563,700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Jiaxing 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Jiaxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 346% more than Jiaxing, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $948 in Jiaxing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 745% less in Jiaxing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,371 per month in Melbourne and $430 in Jiaxing. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jiaxing, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Jiaxing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiaxing – 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 Jiaxing. 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.