Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Qingdao, Shandong

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $756 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
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Qingdao, Shandong Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Qingdao, Shandong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $756 in Qingdao, Shandong.

Melbourne $2,852
Qingdao, Shandong $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,233 in Qingdao, Shandong.

Melbourne $4,297
Qingdao, Shandong $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,709 in Qingdao, Shandong.

Melbourne $5,742
Qingdao, Shandong $1,709

Living in Melbourne is roughly 277% more expensive than in Qingdao, Shandong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Qingdao, Shandong is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$2.91 ¥19.43

509.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$17.98 ¥120

371.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.46 ¥29.79

172.65%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.66 ¥17.78

47.74%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.54 ¥3.64

481.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.32 ¥2.15

659.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.11 ¥7.42

791.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.67 ¥17.82

210.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.91 ¥12.73

-18.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.35 ¥9.05

122.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$0.97 ¥6.50

196.91%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$1.29 ¥8.63

321.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$16.27 ¥109

-34.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$4.36 ¥29.12

120.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$9.66 ¥64.6

55.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$1.41 ¥9.43

194.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.20 ¥7.99

154.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.73 ¥11.55

90.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.26 ¥8.39

277.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.68 ¥4.53

347.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$0.96 ¥6.44

165.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.94 ¥6.26

163.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.61 ¥4.09

167.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.79 ¥25.34

1062.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$14.69 ¥98.2

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$1.01 ¥6.75

427.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.57 ¥10.50

228.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.31 ¥2.10

1138.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$18.25 ¥122

675.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$1.50 ¥10.03

193.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.41 ¥2.74

241.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$9.06 ¥60.5

229.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.31 ¥8.74

11.45%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$19.1K ¥127.4K

47.70%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$16.6K ¥110.7K

56.66%

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

$233 A$333

$69.2 ¥463

236.05%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$6.73 ¥44.95

305.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$7.73 ¥51.7

637.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$20.95 ¥140

151.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$18.21 ¥122

24.22%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$6.25 ¥41.79

173.60%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$365 ¥2,439

550.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$17.6K ¥117.4K

73.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$52.5 ¥351

48.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$49.25 ¥329

2.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$93.9 ¥628

28.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$91.2 ¥609

46.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$353 ¥2,362

384.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$199 ¥1,328

605.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$757 ¥5,056

341.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$418 ¥2,796

504.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$3,573 ¥23.9K

96.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$2,172 ¥14.5K

211.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,196 ¥7,995

253.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.37

75.07%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Qingdao, Shandong

$199 25.7% 85.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Qingdao, Shandong

$221 28.7% 42.6% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8% 73.6% $233

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Qingdao, Shandong

$83 10.7% 73.6% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.7% 25% $43

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 3% 86.3% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$33 4.3% 61.5% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $353 in Qingdao, Shandong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 253% 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 $18.00 in Qingdao, Shandong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $221 per month, with Qingdao, Shandong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

10,071,722

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Melbourne Qingdao, Shandong 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Qingdao, Shandong

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 Qingdao, Shandong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Qingdao, Shandong differ by about 277% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $756 including rent). Qingdao, Shandong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 253% 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: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $353 in Qingdao, Shandong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $365 in Qingdao, Shandong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $756 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qingdao, Shandong but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Qingdao, Shandong 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 Qingdao, Shandong 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 Qingdao, Shandong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 277% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.