Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,134 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Shenzhen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,134 in Shenzhen.

Melbourne $2,852
Shenzhen $1,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,734 in Shenzhen.

Melbourne $4,297
Shenzhen $1,734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,333 in Shenzhen.

Melbourne $5,742
Shenzhen $2,333

Living in Melbourne is roughly 151% more expensive than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Shenzhen is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$3.64 ¥24.33

387.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$29.70 ¥199

185.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$5.12 ¥34.18

137.50%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.21 ¥21.47

22.43%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.59 ¥3.91

432.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.33 ¥2.19

636.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.48 ¥9.88

568.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$2.24 ¥14.98

270.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.55 ¥10.39

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.64 ¥10.97

83.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.09 ¥7.29

164.22%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$1.76 ¥11.78

209.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$20.95 ¥140

-49.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$3.38 ¥22.62

184.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$14.38 ¥96.1

4.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.31 ¥15.47

79.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.60 ¥10.70

90.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.89 ¥12.61

74.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.41 ¥9.44

237.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.07 ¥7.16

184.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$1.24 ¥8.28

105.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.59 ¥3.95

320.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.59 ¥3.97

176.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$4.54 ¥30.35

870.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$11.82 ¥79.0

5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$0.92 ¥6.16

479.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$1.76 ¥11.76

193.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.59 ¥3.92

550.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$21.95 ¥147

544.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$1.46 ¥9.75

201.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.38 ¥2.55

268.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$7.13 ¥47.67

318.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.35 ¥9.05

8.15%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$19.3K ¥129.3K

45.49%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$18.6K ¥124.2K

39.64%

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

$233 A$333

$63.8 ¥426

264.71%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$10.04 ¥67.1

171.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$16.28 ¥109

250.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$50.3 ¥336

4.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$17.02 ¥114

32.90%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$7.28 ¥48.63

134.89%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$523 ¥3,496

353.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$23.8K ¥159.1K

27.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$55.1 ¥368

41.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$40.53 ¥271

24.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$72.0 ¥481

67.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$92.4 ¥617

44.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$764 ¥5,103

124.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$485 ¥3,238

189.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$1,941 ¥13.0K

71.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$845 ¥5,650

199.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$14.0K ¥93.7K

-49.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$6,137 ¥41.0K

10.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,693 ¥11.3K

149.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.35

76.12%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Shenzhen

$484 42.8% 65.4% $917

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Shenzhen

$249 22% 35.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Shenzhen

$90 8% 71.6% $227

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Shenzhen

$99 8.7% 68.6% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 32% $55

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Shenzhen

$28 2.4% 83.6% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 25.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $764 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 150% 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 $30.00 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $249 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Shenzhen 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Shenzhen differ by about 151% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,134 including rent). Shenzhen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 150% 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 $764 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $523 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenzhen but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.