Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jingmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jingmen: $741 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Jingmen
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Jingmen Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jingmen

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jingmen

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $741 in Jingmen, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Jingmen $741

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,215 in Jingmen, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Jingmen $1,215

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,689 in Jingmen, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Jingmen $1,689

Melbourne costs about 281% more than Jingmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Jingmen is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.08 ¥20.58

465.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.61 ¥151

273.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.11 ¥27.49

203.16%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.21 ¥14.76

85.97%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.43 ¥2.90

611.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.29 ¥1.92

768.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.86 ¥5.78

1039.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.07 ¥7.17

700.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.00 ¥13.38

-26.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.79 ¥11.94

64.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.03 ¥6.89

158.25%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.67 ¥11.15

231.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.15 ¥87.9

-20.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.69 ¥24.66

161.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$13.68 ¥91.4

11.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$2.20 ¥14.73

81.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.20 ¥8.03

151.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.41 ¥9.45

119.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.11 ¥7.40

334.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.82 ¥5.51

269.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.77 ¥5.16

216.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.38 ¥2.52

547.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.43 ¥2.89

279.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$6.53 ¥43.65

574.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$14.67 ¥98.1

-13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.75 ¥5.00

638.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.04 ¥13.61

156.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.32 ¥2.14

1068.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$19.67 ¥132

599.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.47 ¥9.82

206.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.29 ¥1.91

368.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$4.34 ¥29.03

601.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.07 ¥7.17

37.38%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

47.43%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.8K ¥112.5K

57.37%

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

$234 A$336

$57.6 ¥385

305.55%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.52 ¥50.3

271.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$11.70 ¥78.3

376.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$44.91 ¥300

10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$12.76 ¥85.3

68.34%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.35 ¥35.74

182.06%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$375 ¥2,505

532.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$11.9K ¥79.3K

154.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$54.4 ¥363

47.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.37 ¥223

51.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$60.6 ¥405

99.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$113 ¥756

15.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$277 ¥1,850

535.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$170 ¥1,134

719.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$664 ¥4,438

426.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$396 ¥2,648

529.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,203 ¥21.4K

116.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$2,196 ¥14.7K

193.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.31

78.25%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jingmen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jingmen

$170 22.9% 87.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jingmen

$225 30.3% 41.4% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jingmen

$77 10.4% 75.8% $241

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jingmen

$73 9.8% 76.9% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jingmen

$118 15.9% 31.5% $54

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jingmen

$24 3.2% 85.4% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jingmen

$56 7.5% 30.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $277 in Jingmen. 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 $23.00 in Jingmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $225 – making Jingmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jingmen

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,873,687

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Jingmen 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Jingmen

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 Jingmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne, $741 in Jingmen – roughly 281% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,112 in Jingmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jingmen, 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 $375 in Jingmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jingmen, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Jingmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jingmen – 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 Jingmen. 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.