Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $678 a month against $2,821 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
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
Learn more

Shijiazhuang Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Shijiazhuang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $678 in Shijiazhuang.

Melbourne $2,821
Shijiazhuang $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,015 in Shijiazhuang.

Melbourne $4,235
Shijiazhuang $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,353 in Shijiazhuang.

Melbourne $5,650
Shijiazhuang $1,353

Living in Melbourne is roughly 316% more expensive than in Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Shijiazhuang is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$1.78 ¥11.90

879.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$18.80 ¥126

349.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$5.46 ¥36.50

128.21%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$3.22 ¥21.51

27.64%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.47 ¥3.14

551.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.27 ¥1.82

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$0.80 ¥5.34

1125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$1.70 ¥11.35

404.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.32 ¥8.86

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.14 ¥7.59

157.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.70 ¥4.65

280.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.23 ¥8.25

350.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$16.09 ¥108

-34.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$2.76 ¥18.46

249.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$9.42 ¥63.0

61.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$1.63 ¥10.90

144.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.24 ¥8.26

143.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$0.77 ¥5.18

302.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.22 ¥8.15

295.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.59 ¥3.92

413.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.58 ¥3.89

320.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.63 ¥4.23

290.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.46 ¥3.09

254.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.81 ¥25.46

1056.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$3.68 ¥24.64

245.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.72 ¥4.84

669.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$0.73 ¥4.87

616.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.31 ¥2.10

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$17.78 ¥119

673.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.17 ¥7.80

285.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.35 ¥2.34

288.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$3.49 ¥23.36

772.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.24 ¥8.29

18.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

47.18%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

55.49%

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

$234 A$335

$93.9 ¥628

148.83%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$4.40 ¥29.45

534.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$6.63 ¥44.35

740.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$13.96 ¥93.4

253.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$14.76 ¥98.7

45.53%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$5.52 ¥36.93

173.37%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$377 ¥2,519

529.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$5,226 ¥35.0K

477.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$49.51 ¥331

61.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$26.52 ¥177

91.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$75.5 ¥505

59.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$54.8 ¥366

138.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$302 ¥2,019

482.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$183 ¥1,222

660.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$408 ¥2,729

756.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$276 ¥1,848

802.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$2,499 ¥16.7K

177.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$1,670 ¥11.2K

285.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

$801 ¥5,357

447.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.31

78.25%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Shijiazhuang

$183 27% 86.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Shijiazhuang

$171 25.2% 55.5% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Shijiazhuang

$105 15.5% 66.9% $212

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Shijiazhuang

$80 11.7% 74.7% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Shijiazhuang

$93 13.7% 46% $79

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 86.6% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.7% 68.6% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $302 in Shijiazhuang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 447% 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 $19.00 in Shijiazhuang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $171 per month, with Shijiazhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

11,235,086

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 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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Melbourne Shijiazhuang 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Shijiazhuang differ by about 316% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $678 including rent). Shijiazhuang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 447% 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $302 in Shijiazhuang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $377 in Shijiazhuang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 125% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $678 in Shijiazhuang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shijiazhuang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang 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 Shijiazhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 316% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.