Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Rizhao

For one person, living is cheaper in Rizhao: $667 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Rizhao
Learn more

Rizhao Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Rizhao

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Rizhao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $667 in Rizhao.

Melbourne $2,821
Rizhao $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,077 in Rizhao.

Melbourne $4,235
Rizhao $1,077

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,487 in Rizhao.

Melbourne $5,650
Rizhao $1,487

Living in Melbourne is roughly 323% more expensive than in Rizhao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Rizhao is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.54 ¥16.95

586.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.14 ¥128

341.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.82 ¥32.21

158.51%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.95 ¥13.05

110.77%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.46 ¥3.10

565.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.23 ¥1.54

995.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.88 ¥5.87

1013.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.98 ¥13.21

332.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.46 ¥9.78

1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.48 ¥9.87

98.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.46 ¥3.08

478.26%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.07 ¥7.14

417.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$11.73 ¥78.4

-10.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.34 ¥22.32

188.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$11.35 ¥75.9

34.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.46 ¥9.78

173.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.02 ¥6.81

196.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$0.77 ¥5.17

302.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.14 ¥7.65

322.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.58 ¥3.87

422.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.68 ¥4.57

258.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.58 ¥3.85

324.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.63 ¥4.19

158.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.66 ¥24.45

1104.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.99 ¥66.8

27.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.72 ¥4.81

669.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.36 ¥9.08

284.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.29 ¥1.93

1189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$17.44 ¥117

688.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.23 ¥8.20

266.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.25 ¥1.67

444.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$4.52 ¥30.21

573.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.19 ¥7.92

23.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

51.94%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$14.8K ¥99.1K

78.62%

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

$234 A$336

$73.5 ¥491

217.93%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$6.63 ¥44.30

321.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$5.18 ¥34.65

976.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$36.51 ¥244

35.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$13.25 ¥88.6

62.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.36 ¥35.87

181.53%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$218 ¥1,458

987.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

52.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$34.08 ¥228

134.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$43.15 ¥289

17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$71.2 ¥476

69.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$69.4 ¥464

87.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$299 ¥1,999

488.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$163 ¥1,090

752.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$623 ¥4,167

460.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$375 ¥2,505

565.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,578 ¥23.9K

93.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$2,144 ¥14.3K

200.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.13

88.50%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rizhao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Rizhao

$163 24.4% 88.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Rizhao

$183 27.4% 52.4% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Rizhao

$85 12.8% 73.1% $232

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Rizhao

$69 10.4% 78% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Rizhao

$98 14.7% 42.9% $74

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Rizhao

$21 3.2% 87.1% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Rizhao

$47 7.1% 40.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $299 in Rizhao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $19.00 in Rizhao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $183 per month, with Rizhao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Rizhao

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,143,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Rizhao 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Rizhao

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 Rizhao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Rizhao differ by about 323% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $667 including rent). Rizhao 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 $1,000 in Rizhao 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 $299 in Rizhao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $218 in Rizhao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $667 in Rizhao versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rizhao but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Rizhao 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 Rizhao 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 Rizhao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 323% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.