Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jilin

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $737 in Jilin, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Jilin $737

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $1,185 in Jilin, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Jilin $1,185

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $1,633 in Jilin, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Jilin $1,633

Melbourne costs about 287% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 111% above the global median, while Jilin is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.96 ¥19.79

481.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$22.66 ¥152

266.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.31 ¥35.51

134.09%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.46 ¥23.12

17.05%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.45 ¥2.98

593.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.25 ¥1.65

884.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.15 ¥7.69

727.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$2.26 ¥15.12

261.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.75 ¥11.67

-10.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.63 ¥10.92

77.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.93 ¥6.24

186.02%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.68 ¥11.21

219.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$13.07 ¥87.4

-18.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.40 ¥22.75

189.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$11.15 ¥74.6

37.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.80 ¥12.07

131.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.28 ¥8.55

146.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.57 ¥10.48

107.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.26 ¥8.42

277.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.70 ¥4.68

337.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$0.96 ¥6.44

157.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.63 ¥4.21

288.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.54 ¥3.62

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.81 ¥25.49

1085.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$11.76 ¥78.6

7.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.88 ¥5.92

546.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.62 ¥10.84

222.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.29 ¥1.91

1234.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$18.27 ¥122

677.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.08 ¥7.21

320.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.24 ¥1.59

491.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$7.08 ¥47.35

332.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.25 ¥8.38

17.60%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$19.7K ¥131.7K

46.55%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

50.78%

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

$235 A$338

$56.7 ¥379

314.88%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$8.74 ¥58.4

214.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$11.28 ¥75.4

397.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$42.47 ¥284

17.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$15.22 ¥102

41.20%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$6.30 ¥42.12

181.90%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$415 ¥2,774

474.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$17.4K ¥116.6K

70.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$43.23 ¥289

83.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$34.09 ¥228

45.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$73.9 ¥494

60.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$74.2 ¥496

78.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$297 ¥1,989

492.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$181 ¥1,208

681.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$635 ¥4,248

454.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$377 ¥2,517

570.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$3,419 ¥22.9K

108.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,956 ¥13.1K

224.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$451 ¥3,018

843.36%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Jilin

$181 24.5% 87.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Jilin

$207 28.2% 46.6% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Jilin

$77 10.4% 75.9% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Jilin

$94 12.8% 69.6% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Jilin

$101 13.8% 40.5% $69

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Jilin

$22 2.9% 87.2% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Jilin

$55 7.5% 35.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,763 in Melbourne versus $297 in Jilin. 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 843% 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 $83.0 in Melbourne versus $23.00 in Jilin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $207 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jilin

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,623,713

💱 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 Jilin 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Jilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 287% more than Jilin, 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 $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $1,106 in Jilin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $2,385 per month in Melbourne and $415 in Jilin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $737, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jilin – 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 Jilin. 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.