Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Kunshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $710 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Kunshan
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Kunshan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Kunshan

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Kunshan

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

A single person spends $2,852 per month in Melbourne vs $710 in Kunshan, rent included.

Melbourne $2,852
Kunshan $710

A couple spends around $4,297 per month in Melbourne vs $1,135 in Kunshan, rent included.

Melbourne $4,297
Kunshan $1,135

A family of three spends $5,742 per month in Melbourne vs $1,561 in Kunshan, rent included.

Melbourne $5,742
Kunshan $1,561

Melbourne costs about 302% more than Kunshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 113% above the global median, while Kunshan is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.51

$2.76 ¥18.47

543.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$21.37 ¥143

296.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.47

$4.78 ¥31.96

154.39%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$3.03 ¥20.28

29.70%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$0.46 ¥3.09

582.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.29 ¥1.94

737.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.23

$0.94 ¥6.28

953.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$2.14 ¥14.32

287.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$1.85 ¥12.38

-16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$1.56 ¥10.43

92.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$0.94 ¥6.29

206.38%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$1.61 ¥10.78

237.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.23

$13.00 ¥86.9

-18.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

$3.24 ¥21.67

196.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.55

$10.38 ¥69.4

44.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.97

$1.81 ¥12.10

129.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$1.19 ¥7.98

156.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$1.48 ¥9.90

122.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.84

$1.09 ¥7.27

336.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$0.70 ¥4.70

334.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$0.98 ¥6.52

160.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

$0.56 ¥3.74

342.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.51 ¥3.44

219.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$3.16 ¥21.15

1294.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.86

$10.71 ¥71.6

16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.66

$0.74 ¥4.96

620.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

$1.59 ¥10.63

224.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

$0.27 ¥1.78

1322.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$17.00 ¥114

732.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$1.41 ¥9.44

212.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.02

$0.33 ¥2.18

324.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.86

$6.75 ¥45.12

341.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.10

$1.18 ¥7.91

23.73%

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

$28.1K A$40.4K

$19.8K ¥132.2K

42.26%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.4K ¥116.1K

49.29%

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

$233 A$334

$44.30 ¥296

425.17%

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

$27.28 A$39.20

$9.92 ¥66.3

175.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$11.65 ¥77.9

389.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

$41.65 ¥278

26.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.50

$13.67 ¥91.4

65.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.58

$5.99 ¥40.04

185.48%

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

$2,373 A$3,411

$331 ¥2,211

617.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

$16.7K ¥111.6K

82.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$42.98 ¥287

81.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

$29.88 ¥200

68.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$72.0 ¥481

67.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$72.0 ¥481

85.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,461

$273 ¥1,824

527.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,015

$196 ¥1,310

614.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,798

$601 ¥4,017

455.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,634

$356 ¥2,376

611.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

$3,052 ¥20.4K

129.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,725

$2,029 ¥13.6K

233.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,077

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.89

51.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kunshan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Kunshan

$196 27.3% 86% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Kunshan

$199 27.7% 48.3% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Kunshan

$66 9.2% 79.2% $251

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Kunshan

$85 11.8% 73% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Kunshan

$98 13.6% 43.3% $75

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Kunshan

$21 2.9% 87.5% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Kunshan

$54 7.5% 38.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,713 in Melbourne versus $273 in Kunshan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne versus $21.00 in Kunshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $199 – making Kunshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Kunshan

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

16:39 4:39 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,092,496

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 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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Between locations

Melbourne Kunshan 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 Kunshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 302%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,277 per month in Melbourne and $1,065 in Kunshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Melbourne and $21.00 in Kunshan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,852 in Melbourne and $710 in Kunshan. That's a gap of about 302%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kunshan, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Melbourne at $2,852. In Kunshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kunshan – 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 Kunshan. 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.