Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Mudanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $758 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 Mudanjiang
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Mudanjiang Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Mudanjiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $758 in Mudanjiang.

Melbourne $2,821
Mudanjiang $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,192 in Mudanjiang.

Melbourne $4,235
Mudanjiang $1,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,627 in Mudanjiang.

Melbourne $5,650
Mudanjiang $1,627

Living in Melbourne is roughly 272% more expensive than in Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.00 ¥20.09

481.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$13.67 ¥91.4

518.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$6.08 ¥40.67

104.93%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.69 ¥18.00

52.79%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.43 ¥2.87

611.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.34 ¥2.25

641.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.04 ¥6.98

842.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.05 ¥13.70

318.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.84 ¥12.29

-19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.59 ¥10.62

84.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.92 ¥6.18

189.13%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.62 ¥10.82

241.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$11.77 ¥78.7

-10.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.41 ¥22.78

182.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.24 ¥75.2

35.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.90 ¥12.69

110.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.28 ¥8.56

135.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.50 ¥10.01

106.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.40 ¥9.33

244.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.73 ¥4.87

315.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.94 ¥6.31

159.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.60 ¥4.00

310.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.59 ¥3.93

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.53 ¥23.61

1148.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.48 ¥76.8

10.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.88 ¥5.85

529.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.47 ¥9.84

255.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.91

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$18.98 ¥127

624.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.42 ¥9.49

217.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.35 ¥2.32

288.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$6.34 ¥42.40

380.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.45 ¥9.68

1.38%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.0K ¥133.6K

45.17%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.1K ¥107.7K

64.34%

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

$234 A$336

$57.8 ¥387

304.15%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$9.32 ¥62.3

199.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$11.00 ¥73.5

406.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$40.45 ¥270

22.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$14.75 ¥98.6

45.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.26 ¥41.83

141.05%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$375 ¥2,510

531.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$17.3K ¥115.7K

74.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$42.02 ¥281

90.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$38.37 ¥257

32.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$78.1 ¥522

54.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$82.0 ¥548

58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$310 ¥2,076

466.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$204 ¥1,364

581.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$686 ¥4,589

409.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$421 ¥2,815

492.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,884 ¥26.0K

78.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,996 ¥13.3K

222.90%

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 Mudanjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Mudanjiang

$204 26.9% 85.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Mudanjiang

$204 27% 46.8% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Mudanjiang

$78 10.3% 75.4% $239

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Mudanjiang

$87 11.5% 72.3% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Mudanjiang

$108 14.3% 37% $64

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Mudanjiang

$23 3.1% 85.8% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Mudanjiang

$53 7% 33.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $310 in Mudanjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $14.00 in Mudanjiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $204 per month, with Mudanjiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

965,154

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Melbourne Mudanjiang 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Mudanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Mudanjiang differ by about 272% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $758 including rent). Mudanjiang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,137 in Mudanjiang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $310 in Mudanjiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $375 in Mudanjiang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $758 in Mudanjiang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mudanjiang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Mudanjiang 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 Mudanjiang 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 Mudanjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 272% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.