Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Karamay

For one person, living is cheaper in Karamay: $736 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Karamay
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Karamay Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Karamay

🇨🇳 China

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Karamay

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $736 in Karamay, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Karamay $736

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,182 in Karamay, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Karamay $1,182

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,627 in Karamay, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Karamay $1,627

Melbourne costs about 283% more than Karamay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.01 ¥20.11

479.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.48 ¥150

276.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.12 ¥34.17

143.36%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.73 ¥18.26

50.55%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.48 ¥3.19

537.50%

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

$1.10 ¥7.35

790.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.14 ¥14.28

300.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.87 ¥12.45

-20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.60 ¥10.67

83.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.93 ¥6.21

186.02%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.67 ¥11.14

231.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.36 ¥89.2

-21.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.46 ¥23.08

178.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.37 ¥75.9

33.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.80 ¥12.05

121.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.28 ¥8.55

135.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.50 ¥10.01

106.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.35 ¥9.02

257.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.74 ¥4.95

309.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.89 ¥5.94

174.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.59 ¥3.92

316.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.58 ¥3.87

181.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.24 ¥28.31

939.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.66 ¥77.9

8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.87 ¥5.81

536.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.55 ¥10.32

237.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.32 ¥2.17

1068.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$19.57 ¥131

602.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.52 ¥10.15

196.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.33 ¥2.19

312.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.32 ¥48.85

315.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.26 ¥8.44

16.67%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$18.7K ¥124.6K

55.36%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$17.8K ¥119.0K

48.57%

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

$234 A$336

$57.4 ¥383

307.32%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.90 ¥59.4

213.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$11.36 ¥75.8

390.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$40.91 ¥273

20.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$15.31 ¥102

40.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.27 ¥41.86

140.67%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$417 ¥2,784

468.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.5K ¥117.0K

72.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$42.74 ¥285

87.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.16 ¥221

52.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$75.5 ¥504

59.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$76.2 ¥508

71.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$297 ¥1,980

493.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$183 ¥1,225

657.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$628 ¥4,195

456.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$378 ¥2,525

559.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,944 ¥26.3K

75.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,919 ¥12.8K

235.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$599 ¥3,998

631.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.36

75.60%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karamay: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Karamay

$183 24.9% 86.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Karamay

$210 28.5% 45.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Karamay

$78 10.6% 75.5% $240

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Karamay

$85 11.6% 72.9% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Karamay

$102 13.9% 40.4% $69

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Karamay

$24 3.3% 85.3% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Karamay

$53 7.3% 32.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $297 in Karamay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 632% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $22.00 in Karamay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $210 – making Karamay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Karamay

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

490,348

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Karamay 11,040 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Karamay

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 Karamay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 283%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,231 per month in Melbourne and $1,104 in Karamay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karamay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $22.00 in Karamay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Karamay, where all-in costs run around $736, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Karamay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karamay – 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 Karamay. 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.