Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Putian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $518 in Putian.

Melbourne $2,853
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $854 in Putian.

Melbourne $4,275
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,190 in Putian.

Melbourne $5,697
Putian $1,190

Living in Melbourne is roughly 451% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Putian is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.21 ¥14.79

678.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$23.26 ¥156

257.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$5.17 ¥34.57

140.43%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.44 ¥16.32

65.98%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.43 ¥2.88

625.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.29 ¥1.92

748.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$0.77 ¥5.16

1136.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$2.93 ¥19.58

178.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.47 ¥9.82

6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$2.25 ¥15.07

28.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.93 ¥6.19

186.02%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.58 ¥10.58

239.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$11.73 ¥78.4

-9.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$2.43 ¥16.22

305.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$12.18 ¥81.4

26.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.55 ¥17.03

63.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.42 ¥9.49

121.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.70 ¥11.34

91.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.98 ¥13.25

140.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$1.02 ¥6.79

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.77 ¥11.86

39.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.93 ¥6.19

163.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.50 ¥3.36

226.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.04 ¥20.31

1385.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$11.18 ¥74.8

13.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.83 ¥5.58

585.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.71 ¥11.44

205.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.74 ¥4.92

422.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$22.38 ¥150

534.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.52 ¥10.16

198.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.29 ¥1.94

389.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$7.02 ¥46.94

335.75%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

48.68%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

45.86%

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

$235 A$338

$44.03 ¥294

433.98%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$8.87 ¥59.3

209.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$10.55 ¥70.6

432.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$10.08 ¥67.4

76.19%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$492 ¥3,286

385.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

21.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$39.10 ¥261

102.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$29.11 ¥195

70.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$103 ¥691

14.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$85.7 ¥573

54.19%

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

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,637 ¥17.6K

170.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,115 ¥7,452

470.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$480 ¥3,211

786.62%

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 Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Putian

$215 41.6% 44.6% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Putian

$63 12.3% 80.1% $255

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Putian

$75 14.5% 75.8% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Putian

$116 22.4% 32.2% $55

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Putian

$28 5.5% 83.3% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 76.5% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

Melbourne pays 787% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,954,000

💱 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 Putian 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Putian differ by about 451% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $518 including rent). Putian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 787% higher in Melbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $492 in Putian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Putian 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 Putian 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 Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 451% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.