Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Longyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $462 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $28,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Longyan
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Longyan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Longyan

🇨🇳 China

$462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Longyan

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

A single person spends $2,853 per month in Melbourne vs $462 in Longyan, rent included.

Melbourne $2,853
Longyan $462

A couple spends around $4,275 per month in Melbourne vs $750 in Longyan, rent included.

Melbourne $4,275
Longyan $750

A family of three spends $5,697 per month in Melbourne vs $1,038 in Longyan, rent included.

Melbourne $5,697
Longyan $1,038

Melbourne costs about 518% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Melbourne sits 111% above the global median, while Longyan is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.95 ¥19.74

483.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$22.57 ¥151

268.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.96 ¥33.19

150.60%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.20 ¥14.72

84.09%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.44 ¥2.94

609.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.27 ¥1.79

811.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$0.88 ¥5.87

981.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$1.60 ¥10.68

410.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$2.08 ¥13.90

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.42 ¥9.47

104.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.78 ¥5.22

241.03%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.48 ¥9.90

262.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$7.63 ¥51.0

39.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$2.18 ¥14.61

351.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$8.99 ¥60.1

70.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.89 ¥12.63

120.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.34 ¥8.95

135.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.77 ¥11.83

84.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.12 ¥7.48

325.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.89 ¥5.97

243.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.01 ¥6.75

144.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.43 ¥2.90

469.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.48 ¥3.21

239.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.42 ¥22.85

1220.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$12.16 ¥81.3

4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.78 ¥5.21

629.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.18 ¥7.89

343.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.16 ¥1.08

2318.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.06 ¥7.10

328.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.47 ¥3.12

202.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$7.57 ¥50.6

304.10%

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)

$28.9K A$41.5K

$19.3K ¥129.1K

49.49%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$15.6K ¥104.3K

66.20%

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

$235 A$338

$66.3 ¥443

254.56%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$15.68 ¥105

75.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$8.86 ¥59.3

533.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$4.40 ¥29.44

388.41%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$7.61 ¥50.9

133.38%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$213 ¥1,425

1019.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$11.7K ¥78.4K

152.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$29.86 ¥200

165.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$14.92 ¥99.8

231.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$76.0 ¥508

55.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$98.4 ¥658

34.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$377 ¥2,518

835.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,338 ¥8,949

374.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$485 ¥3,243

778.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.46

70.52%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Longyan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Longyan

$178 38.5% 54.3% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Longyan

$91 19.7% 71.5% $228

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Longyan

$75 16.3% 75.7% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Longyan

$99 21.4% 42.2% $72

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Longyan

$4 * 0.9% 97.6% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Longyan

$15 * 3.3% 82.2% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 778% 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 $83.0 in Melbourne versus $23.00 in Longyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $178 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Longyan

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,559,545

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Longyan 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Longyan

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 Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne, $462 in Longyan – roughly 518% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,280 per month in Melbourne and $693 in Longyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Melbourne and $23.00 in Longyan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 119% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Longyan, where all-in costs run around $462, than in Melbourne at $2,853. In Longyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Longyan – 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 Longyan. 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.