Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Jiujiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiujiang: $793 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Jiujiang
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Jiujiang Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Jiujiang

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Jiujiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $793 in Jiujiang.

Melbourne $2,821
Jiujiang $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,237 in Jiujiang.

Melbourne $4,235
Jiujiang $1,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,681 in Jiujiang.

Melbourne $5,650
Jiujiang $1,681

Living in Melbourne is roughly 256% more expensive than in Jiujiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Jiujiang is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$2.61 ¥17.48

567.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$22.60 ¥151

274.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$4.53 ¥30.27

175.06%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$2.75 ¥18.39

49.45%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.50 ¥3.32

512.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.27 ¥1.78

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$1.03 ¥6.88

851.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$2.05 ¥13.73

318.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.61 ¥10.77

-8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$2.05 ¥13.73

43.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.80 ¥5.36

232.50%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.84 ¥12.29

201.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$13.68 ¥91.5

-23.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$4.81 ¥32.16

100.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$11.70 ¥78.2

30.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$2.33 ¥15.58

71.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.74 ¥11.62

73.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.73 ¥11.54

79.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.54 ¥10.31

212.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.80 ¥5.37

278.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$1.01 ¥6.74

141.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.86 ¥5.72

186.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.71 ¥4.76

129.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$2.97 ¥19.86

1383.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$12.07 ¥80.7

5.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.86 ¥5.76

544.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.89 ¥12.61

176.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.30 ¥2.01

1146.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$18.59 ¥124

639.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.19 ¥7.94

278.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.35 ¥2.34

288.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$3.57 ¥23.88

752.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.27 ¥8.50

15.75%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

47.16%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$16.4K ¥110.0K

60.94%

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

$234 A$335

$49.03 ¥328

376.61%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$9.24 ¥61.8

202.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$12.08 ¥80.8

361.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$42.46 ¥284

16.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$17.05 ¥114

25.98%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$6.23 ¥41.64

142.22%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$240 ¥1,607

886.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$8,703 ¥58.2K

246.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$88.4 ¥591

-9.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$33.31 ¥223

52.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$64.3 ¥430

87.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$97.6 ¥653

33.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$291 ¥1,943

505.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$205 ¥1,368

579.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$552 ¥3,694

532.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$338 ¥2,260

637.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$3,711 ¥24.8K

86.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$2,067 ¥13.8K

211.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

$594 ¥3,970

638.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.15

87.30%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jiujiang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Jiujiang

$205 25.8% 85.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Jiujiang

$233 29.4% 39.4% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Jiujiang

$70 8.9% 77.8% $247

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Jiujiang

$80 10.1% 74.6% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Jiujiang

$128 16.1% 25.7% $44

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Jiujiang

$23 2.9% 86.1% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Jiujiang

$55 6.9% 31% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $291 in Jiujiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 638% 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 $23.00 in Jiujiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $233 per month, with Jiujiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Jiujiang

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,728,778

💱 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 Jiujiang 8,090 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 Jiujiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiujiang wins on cost – living expenses run 256% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jiujiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 638% 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 $291 in Jiujiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiujiang – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $85.0 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $793 in Jiujiang – a 256% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $793 in Jiujiang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jiujiang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Jiujiang 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 Jiujiang 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 Jiujiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 256% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.