Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jinhua

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinhua: $644 a month against $2,821 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Jinhua
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Jinhua Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jinhua

🇨🇳 China

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jinhua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $644 in Jinhua.

Melbourne $2,821
Jinhua $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,059 in Jinhua.

Melbourne $4,235
Jinhua $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,474 in Jinhua.

Melbourne $5,650
Jinhua $1,474

Living in Melbourne is roughly 338% more expensive than in Jinhua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Jinhua is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.42 ¥29.54

294.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.23 ¥149

280.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.25 ¥35.10

137.33%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.46 ¥9.78

181.51%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.44 ¥2.92

595.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.29 ¥1.91

768.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.44 ¥2.94

2127.27%

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

$1.53 ¥10.23

-3.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.46 ¥9.76

101.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.78 ¥5.18

241.03%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.29 ¥8.62

329.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$17.42 ¥117

-39.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.21 ¥21.45

200.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$8.88 ¥59.4

71.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.82 ¥12.16

119.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.19 ¥7.94

153.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.17 ¥7.80

164.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.51 ¥10.10

219.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.78 ¥5.22

288.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.73 ¥4.85

234.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.14 ¥0.91

1657.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.31 ¥2.10

425.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.85 ¥25.72

1044.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$10.65 ¥71.2

19.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.47 ¥3.13

1078.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.51 ¥10.11

246.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.31 ¥2.10

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$17.14 ¥115

702.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.53 ¥10.25

194.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.21 ¥1.40

547.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$8.79 ¥58.8

246.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.28 ¥8.59

14.84%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$12.1K ¥80.8K

139.95%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.9K ¥99.9K

77.19%

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

$234 A$336

$22.46 ¥150

940.43%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.77 ¥52.0

259.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$10.45 ¥69.9

433.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$42.28 ¥283

16.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$15.17 ¥101

41.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.38 ¥29.31

244.52%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$411 ¥2,749

476.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$28.2K ¥188.5K

7.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$22.55 ¥151

254.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.91 ¥247

37.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$76.1 ¥509

58.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$29.61 ¥198

340.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$258 ¥1,728

580.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$184 ¥1,232

654.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$479 ¥3,205

628.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$380 ¥2,543

555.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,485 ¥23.3K

98.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,933 ¥12.9K

233.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,500 ¥10.0K

192.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

96.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jinhua: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jinhua

$184 28.6% 86.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jinhua

$196 30.5% 48.9% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jinhua

$41 6.3% 87.2% $277

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jinhua

$77 11.9% 75.6% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jinhua

$74 11.5% 56.7% $97

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jinhua

$21 3.3% 87.2% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jinhua

$51 7.9% 35.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $258 in Jinhua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 192% 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 $22.00 in Jinhua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $196 per month, with Jinhua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jinhua

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

15:09 3:09 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

5,361,572

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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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 Jinhua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinhua is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 338% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 192% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $258 in Jinhua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jinhua runs roughly 702% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $411 in Jinhua. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $644 in Jinhua versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jinhua but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Jinhua 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 Jinhua 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 Jinhua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 338% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.