Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $501 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $27,800 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kaifeng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $501 in Kaifeng.

Melbourne $2,821
Kaifeng $501

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $791 in Kaifeng.

Melbourne $4,235
Kaifeng $791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,081 in Kaifeng.

Melbourne $5,650
Kaifeng $1,081

Living in Melbourne is roughly 463% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Kaifeng is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$1.77 ¥11.83

884.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$13.50 ¥90.3

526.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.15 ¥27.74

200.24%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.41 ¥16.12

70.54%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.38 ¥2.54

705.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.16 ¥1.06

1475.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.92 ¥6.12

965.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.61 ¥10.78

432.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.50 ¥10.03

-1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.52 ¥10.18

93.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.87 ¥5.79

205.75%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.90 ¥6.03

515.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$6.85 ¥45.78

53.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.36 ¥15.81

308.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.73 ¥65.0

56.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$0.83 ¥5.58

380.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.01 ¥6.75

199.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$0.60 ¥3.98

416.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.60 ¥4.03

703.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.62 ¥4.12

388.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.73 ¥4.88

234.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.21 ¥1.40

1071.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.52 ¥3.48

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.90 ¥19.39

1419.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$14.76 ¥98.7

-13.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.99 ¥6.62

459.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.10 ¥14.05

149.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.15 ¥0.98

2393.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.17 ¥7.79

285.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.16 ¥1.08

750.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$3.58 ¥23.91

750.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.26 ¥8.40

16.67%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.0K ¥127.3K

52.34%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$15.0K ¥100.2K

76.66%

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

$234 A$336

$45.41 ¥304

414.60%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$4.89 ¥32.70

471.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$5.17 ¥34.55

978.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$29.40 ¥197

68.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$10.52 ¥70.4

104.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$3.69 ¥24.65

308.94%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$382 ¥2,553

521.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$31.2K ¥208.6K

-3.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$43.28 ¥289

84.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.17 ¥222

52.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$72.1 ¥482

67.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$45.68 ¥305

185.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$120 ¥803

1365.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$89.7 ¥600

1448.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$225 ¥1,506

1450.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$178 ¥1,192

1298.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$577 ¥3,861

658.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.1

90.32%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kaifeng

$90 17.9% 93.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Kaifeng

$164 32.7% 57.4% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Kaifeng

$55 11.1% 82.5% $262

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Kaifeng

$65 13.1% 79.2% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kaifeng

$87 17.5% 49.1% $84

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Kaifeng

$2.6 * 0.5% 98.4% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Kaifeng

$37 7.3% 53.8% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $120 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 659% 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 $14.00 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $164 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

09:56 9:56 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,676,159

💱 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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Between locations

Melbourne Kaifeng 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 463% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 659% 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 $120 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 135% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $501 in Kaifeng – a 463% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $501 in Kaifeng versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng 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 Kaifeng 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 Kaifeng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 463% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.