Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Qinhuangdao

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $2,853 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Qinhuangdao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $714 in Qinhuangdao.

Melbourne $2,853
Qinhuangdao $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,135 in Qinhuangdao.

Melbourne $4,275
Qinhuangdao $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,556 in Qinhuangdao.

Melbourne $5,697
Qinhuangdao $1,556

Living in Melbourne is roughly 300% more expensive than in Qinhuangdao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Qinhuangdao is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.76 ¥18.44

523.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$21.79 ¥146

281.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.88 ¥32.64

154.71%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.04 ¥20.33

33.22%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.47 ¥3.13

563.83%

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

$0.92 ¥6.18

934.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$2.13 ¥14.24

283.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.85 ¥12.37

-15.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.55 ¥10.38

87.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.89 ¥5.94

198.88%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.53 ¥10.25

250.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$13.05 ¥87.3

-18.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.11 ¥20.80

216.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$10.33 ¥69.1

48.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.87 ¥12.52

122.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.25 ¥8.36

152.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.47 ¥9.82

121.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.15 ¥7.66

313.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.73 ¥4.90

319.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$0.95 ¥6.36

160.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.60 ¥4.01

308.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.51 ¥3.42

219.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.05 ¥20.41

1380.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$10.69 ¥71.5

18.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.79 ¥5.28

620.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.64 ¥10.94

218.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.27 ¥1.79

1333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$16.97 ¥113

736.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.42 ¥9.52

219.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.33 ¥2.19

330.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$6.62 ¥44.23

362.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.14 ¥7.61

28.95%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

50.30%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.1K ¥114.3K

51.57%

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

$235 A$338

$44.64 ¥298

426.68%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$9.87 ¥66.0

178.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$11.90 ¥79.5

371.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$42.14 ¥282

18.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$14.09 ¥94.2

52.52%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$5.79 ¥38.72

206.74%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$337 ¥2,254

607.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$17.2K ¥114.7K

72.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$44.18 ¥295

79.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$30.35 ¥203

63.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$71.8 ¥480

64.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$70.6 ¥472

87.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$276 ¥1,843

539.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$191 ¥1,277

638.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$601 ¥4,016

486.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$362 ¥2,423

596.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$3,063 ¥20.5K

132.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$2,068 ¥13.8K

207.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.89

51.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8% 86.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9% 48.7% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3% 79.2% $252

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9% 72.5% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7% 42.8% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Qinhuangdao

$21 3% 87.5% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5% 37.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $22.00 in Qinhuangdao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $199 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

16:51 4:51 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,987,605

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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 Qinhuangdao 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Qinhuangdao

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 Qinhuangdao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Qinhuangdao differ by about 300% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $714 including rent). Qinhuangdao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,280 in Melbourne and $1,071 in Qinhuangdao 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $337 in Qinhuangdao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Qinhuangdao but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 300% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.