Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Linyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Linyi: $586 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Linyi
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Linyi Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Linyi

🇨🇳 China

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Linyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $586 in Linyi.

Melbourne $2,821
Linyi $586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $935 in Linyi.

Melbourne $4,235
Linyi $935

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,284 in Linyi.

Melbourne $5,650
Linyi $1,284

Living in Melbourne is roughly 381% more expensive than in Linyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Linyi is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.30 ¥15.39

657.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$23.80 ¥159

255.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.81 ¥32.18

159.04%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.58 ¥17.27

59.30%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.43 ¥2.89

611.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.23 ¥1.54

995.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.88 ¥5.90

1013.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.03 ¥13.56

322.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.45 ¥9.68

2.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.46 ¥9.76

101.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.39 ¥2.61

582.05%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.08 ¥7.19

412.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$9.07 ¥60.7

15.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$1.80 ¥12.07

436.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.03 ¥73.7

37.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.18 ¥7.92

238.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.06 ¥7.08

184.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.02 ¥6.82

203.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.98 ¥6.56

391.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.46 ¥3.10

558.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.39 ¥2.57

525.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.53 ¥3.57

364.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.66 ¥4.44

146.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.38 ¥29.31

906.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.93 ¥66.4

27.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.67 ¥4.47

726.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.33 ¥8.92

293.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.93

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.04 ¥6.94

333.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.27 ¥1.81

403.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$4.38 ¥29.30

595.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.16 ¥7.74

26.72%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$16.2K ¥108.2K

79.28%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.7K ¥98.3K

80.06%

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

$234 A$336

$73.9 ¥494

216.13%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$4.83 ¥32.30

478.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$5.16 ¥34.53

980.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$53.7 ¥359

-7.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$26.35 ¥176

-18.48%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.26 ¥35.18

186.88%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$217 ¥1,452

991.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$10.5K ¥70.5K

186.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$22.72 ¥152

251.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$22.52 ¥151

125.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$70.6 ¥472

70.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$68.6 ¥458

90.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$211 ¥1,413

732.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$113 ¥755

1131.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$492 ¥3,288

610.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$208 ¥1,391

1098.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$1,483 ¥9,914

367.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$985 ¥6,585

554.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$801 ¥5,353

447.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.13

88.50%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Linyi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Linyi

$113 19.3% 91.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Linyi

$164 27.9% 57.4% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Linyi

$84 14.3% 73.6% $233

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Linyi

$75 12.8% 76.2% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Linyi

$83 14.2% 51.7% $89

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Linyi

$3.6 * 0.6% 97.8% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Linyi

$64 11% 19.3% $15

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 $211 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 447% 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 $24.00 in Linyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $164 per month, with Linyi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Linyi

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,710,000

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Melbourne Linyi 8,560 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 Linyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linyi wins on cost – living expenses run 381% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Linyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 447% 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 $211 in Linyi. 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 $586 in Linyi – a 381% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $586 in Linyi versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Linyi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Linyi 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 Linyi 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 Linyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 381% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.