Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jining

For one person, living is cheaper in Jining: $675 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Jining
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Jining Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jining

🇨🇳 China

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jining

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $675 in Jining.

Melbourne $2,821
Jining $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,012 in Jining.

Melbourne $4,235
Jining $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,349 in Jining.

Melbourne $5,650
Jining $1,349

Living in Melbourne is roughly 318% more expensive than in Jining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Jining is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.19 ¥14.62

695.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$16.48 ¥110

413.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.37 ¥29.21

185.13%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.51 ¥16.75

63.75%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.51 ¥3.41

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.31 ¥2.08

712.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.93 ¥6.21

953.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.61 ¥10.80

432.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.70 ¥11.35

-12.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.18 ¥7.89

149.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.94 ¥6.27

182.98%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.96 ¥6.43

477.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$8.16 ¥54.5

28.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.87 ¥19.17

236.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$10.26 ¥68.6

48.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.45 ¥9.68

175.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.99 ¥6.61

205.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.06 ¥7.06

192.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.17 ¥7.84

311.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.61 ¥4.09

396.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.73 ¥4.89

234.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.66 ¥4.42

272.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.76 ¥5.08

114.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$5.31 ¥35.50

729.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.86 ¥65.9

28.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.95 ¥6.32

483.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.61 ¥10.74

224.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.31 ¥2.08

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$18.21 ¥122

655.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.04 ¥6.94

333.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.29 ¥1.93

368.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$3.60 ¥24.10

745.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.31 ¥8.77

12.21%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

50.28%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.6K ¥117.7K

50.45%

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

$234 A$336

$60.8 ¥407

284.22%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$6.92 ¥46.30

303.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$10.47 ¥70.0

432.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$42.31 ¥283

16.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$15.20 ¥102

41.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.43 ¥29.64

240.63%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$386 ¥2,578

515.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$7,427 ¥49.7K

306.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$43.12 ¥288

85.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.56 ¥224

51.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.6 ¥485

66.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$69.8 ¥466

86.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$281 ¥1,880

525.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$182 ¥1,214

665.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$391 ¥2,615

793.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$269 ¥1,796

828.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,524 ¥23.6K

96.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,958 ¥13.1K

229.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$592 ¥3,957

640.60%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Jining: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jining

$182 26.9% 86.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jining

$172 25.5% 55.2% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jining

$78 11.6% 75.4% $239

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jining

$72 10.6% 77.2% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jining

$99 14.6% 42.6% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jining

$22 3.3% 86.6% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jining

$51 7.6% 35.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $281 in Jining. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 641% 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 $16.00 in Jining for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $172 per month, with Jining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jining

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

8,357,897

💱 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 Jining 8,650 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 Jining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jining is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 318% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 641% 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 $281 in Jining. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jining runs roughly 655% 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 $386 in Jining. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $675 in Jining versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jining but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Jining 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 Jining 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 Jining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 318% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.