Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Linfen

For one person, living is cheaper in Linfen: $720 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 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 Linfen
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Linfen Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Linfen

🇨🇳 China

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Linfen

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

A single person spends $2,821 per month in Melbourne vs $720 in Linfen, rent included.

Melbourne $2,821
Linfen $720

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Melbourne vs $1,205 in Linfen, rent included.

Melbourne $4,235
Linfen $1,205

A family of three spends $5,650 per month in Melbourne vs $1,690 in Linfen, rent included.

Melbourne $5,650
Linfen $1,690

Melbourne costs about 292% more than Linfen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 109% above the global median, while Linfen is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.93 ¥19.59

494.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.19 ¥148

281.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.20 ¥34.79

139.62%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.01 ¥20.12

36.54%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.50 ¥3.36

512.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.31 ¥2.08

712.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.03 ¥6.87

851.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.79 ¥11.98

378.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.86 ¥12.47

-20.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.68 ¥11.25

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.01 ¥6.74

163.37%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.68 ¥11.22

229.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$14.22 ¥95.1

-26.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$2.97 ¥19.83

224.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.77 ¥78.7

29.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.62 ¥10.81

146.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.18 ¥7.92

155.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.51 ¥10.08

105.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.39 ¥9.30

246.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.71 ¥4.75

326.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.97 ¥6.52

151.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.57 ¥3.80

331.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.54 ¥3.64

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.04 ¥27.04

990.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.79 ¥78.9

7.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.94 ¥6.27

489.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.40 ¥9.38

273.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.33 ¥2.23

1033.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$15.49 ¥104

787.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.58 ¥10.57

185.44%

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

$6.32 ¥42.28

381.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.19 ¥7.93

23.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

61.06%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$18.3K ¥122.1K

44.99%

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

$234 A$336

$57.5 ¥384

306.47%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$8.82 ¥59.0

216.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$10.96 ¥73.3

408.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$46.28 ¥309

6.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.78 ¥92.1

55.88%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$7.26 ¥48.52

107.85%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$379 ¥2,537

525.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$19.7K ¥131.6K

53.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$44.14 ¥295

81.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$33.84 ¥226

49.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$76.2 ¥509

58.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$76.1 ¥509

71.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$330 ¥2,206

433.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$160 ¥1,069

769.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$668 ¥4,468

422.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$429 ¥2,868

481.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,350 ¥22.4K

106.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$2,134 ¥14.3K

201.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

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 Linfen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Linfen

$160 22.2% 88.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Linfen

$211 29.3% 45% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Linfen

$77 10.7% 75.7% $240

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Linfen

$87 12.1% 72.3% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Linfen

$104 14.4% 39.7% $68

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Linfen

$20 2.8% 87.8% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Linfen

$61 8.4% 23.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in Melbourne versus $330 in Linfen. 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 $22.00 in Linfen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $211 – making Linfen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Linfen

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

617,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Linfen 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Linfen

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 Linfen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 292%, 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 $1,080 in Linfen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,821 in Melbourne and $720 in Linfen. That's a gap of about 292%.

Public transport costs about 788% less in Linfen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Linfen, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Linfen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Linfen – 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 Linfen. 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.