Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Nanchong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchong: $682 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Nanchong
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Nanchong Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Nanchong

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Nanchong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $682 in Nanchong.

Melbourne $2,821
Nanchong $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,112 in Nanchong.

Melbourne $4,235
Nanchong $1,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,543 in Nanchong.

Melbourne $5,650
Nanchong $1,543

Living in Melbourne is roughly 314% more expensive than in Nanchong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Nanchong is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$1.75 ¥11.70

896.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.63 ¥151

273.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.02 ¥20.17

312.58%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.02 ¥13.49

103.47%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.43 ¥2.90

611.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.31 ¥2.09

712.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.22 ¥8.14

703.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.75 ¥11.72

389.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.93 ¥12.90

-23.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.60 ¥10.68

83.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.63 ¥4.23

322.22%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.16 ¥14.41

156.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$18.25 ¥122

-42.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.43 ¥22.95

181.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$9.97 ¥66.7

52.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.53 ¥10.24

160.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.30 ¥8.67

132.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.25 ¥8.33

148.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.20 ¥8.04

301.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.67 ¥4.45

352.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.93 ¥6.23

162.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.84 ¥5.60

192.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.61 ¥4.09

167.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$2.96 ¥19.82

1388.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$8.74 ¥58.4

45.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.81 ¥5.43

583.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.69 ¥11.33

209.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.34 ¥2.25

1000.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$18.28 ¥122

652.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.52 ¥10.17

196.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.31 ¥2.10

338.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$3.08 ¥20.58

888.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.31 ¥8.77

12.21%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.5K ¥130.2K

48.96%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

57.07%

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

$234 A$336

$44.74 ¥299

422.31%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$7.19 ¥48.08

288.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$6.88 ¥46.01

710.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$41.93 ¥280

17.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$14.50 ¥97.0

48.14%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$6.16 ¥41.16

144.97%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$292 ¥1,955

710.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$25.5K ¥170.8K

18.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$39.45 ¥264

102.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$30.06 ¥201

68.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$64.4 ¥431

87.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$63.9 ¥427

104.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$298 ¥1,991

490.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$183 ¥1,222

660.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$624 ¥4,169

460.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$382 ¥2,557

551.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,201 ¥21.4K

116.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$1,973 ¥13.2K

226.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.34

76.65%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nanchong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Nanchong

$183 26.8% 86.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Nanchong

$214 31.4% 44.2% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Nanchong

$59 8.6% 81.5% $259

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Nanchong

$60 8.8% 81% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Nanchong

$89 13.1% 48.2% $83

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Nanchong

$23 3.3% 86.1% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Nanchong

$54 8% 31.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $298 in Nanchong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $23.00 in Nanchong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $214 per month, with Nanchong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Nanchong

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

5,607,565

💱 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 Nanchong 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Nanchong

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 Nanchong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Nanchong differ by about 314% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $682 including rent). Nanchong 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 $1,022 in Nanchong 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 $298 in Nanchong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $292 in Nanchong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $682 in Nanchong versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nanchong but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nanchong 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 Nanchong 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 Nanchong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 314% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.