Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Lianyungang

For one person, living is cheaper in Lianyungang: $751 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Lianyungang
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Lianyungang Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Lianyungang

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Lianyungang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $751 in Lianyungang.

Melbourne $2,821
Lianyungang $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,171 in Lianyungang.

Melbourne $4,235
Lianyungang $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,591 in Lianyungang.

Melbourne $5,650
Lianyungang $1,591

Living in Melbourne is roughly 275% more expensive than in Lianyungang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Lianyungang is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$3.07 ¥20.51

467.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$18.19 ¥122

364.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$4.40 ¥29.41

183.18%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$2.79 ¥18.68

47.31%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.53 ¥3.55

477.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.30 ¥2.00

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$1.06 ¥7.06

824.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$2.56 ¥17.14

234.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.98 ¥13.26

-25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.36 ¥9.09

116.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.98 ¥6.58

171.43%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.33 ¥8.92

316.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$16.33 ¥109

-35.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$4.21 ¥28.14

129.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$9.91 ¥66.3

53.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$1.17 ¥7.82

241.03%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$0.57 ¥3.82

429.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$0.93 ¥6.23

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$0.46 ¥3.10

947.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.67 ¥4.47

352.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.46 ¥3.10

430.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.29 ¥1.94

748.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.44 ¥2.92

270.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.83 ¥25.60

1050.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$14.87 ¥99.4

-14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$1.06 ¥7.12

422.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.56 ¥10.44

235.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.31 ¥2.10

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$16.00 ¥107

759.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.53 ¥10.20

194.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.41 ¥2.76

231.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$9.18 ¥61.4

231.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.31 ¥8.76

12.21%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

52.00%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$16.3K ¥109.2K

62.20%

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

$234 A$335

$69.3 ¥464

237.05%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$6.81 ¥45.57

310.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$7.79 ¥52.1

615.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$46.04 ¥308

7.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$14.77 ¥98.8

45.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$6.26 ¥41.84

141.05%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$363 ¥2,427

553.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

70.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$37.72 ¥252

112.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$36.61 ¥245

38.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$74.8 ¥500

61.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$88.6 ¥593

47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$295 ¥1,971

496.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$191 ¥1,277

627.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$638 ¥4,268

447.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$367 ¥2,451

580.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$3,476 ¥23.2K

99.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$1,794 ¥12.0K

259.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

$593 ¥3,964

639.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.37

75.07%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lianyungang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Lianyungang

$191 25.4% 86.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Lianyungang

$205 27.3% 46.5% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Lianyungang

$84 11.2% 73.6% $233

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Lianyungang

$85 11.3% 73% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Lianyungang

$107 14.2% 37.7% $65

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Lianyungang

$21 2.8% 87.3% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Lianyungang

$59 7.8% 26.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $295 in Lianyungang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 639% 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 $18.00 in Lianyungang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $205 per month, with Lianyungang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Lianyungang

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

19:09 7:09 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,393,914

💱 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 Lianyungang 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Lianyungang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lianyungang wins on cost – living expenses run 275% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lianyungang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 639% 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 $295 in Lianyungang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lianyungang runs roughly 760% 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 $363 in Lianyungang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $751 in Lianyungang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lianyungang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Lianyungang 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 Lianyungang 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 Lianyungang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 275% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.