Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $707 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Melbourne $2,821
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $707

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,185 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Melbourne $4,235
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,663 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Melbourne $5,650
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,663

Living in Melbourne is roughly 299% more expensive than in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$3.83 ¥25.64

355.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$26.02 ¥174

224.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$4.57 ¥30.58

172.65%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$3.17 ¥21.21

29.65%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.48 ¥3.23

537.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.31 ¥2.04

712.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$0.93 ¥6.22

953.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$1.47 ¥9.80

482.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.79 ¥11.98

-17.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.18 ¥7.91

149.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.87 ¥5.85

205.75%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$2.07 ¥13.85

167.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$19.53 ¥131

-46.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$3.69 ¥24.70

161.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$6.16 ¥41.17

147.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$2.33 ¥15.56

71.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.38 ¥9.25

118.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.47 ¥9.81

110.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.31 ¥8.74

267.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.87 ¥5.79

248.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.86 ¥5.77

183.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.62 ¥4.18

296.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.54 ¥3.60

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.57 ¥23.90

1134.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$13.36 ¥89.3

-4.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.75 ¥5.01

638.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.45 ¥9.68

260.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.31 ¥2.08

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$19.88 ¥133

591.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.97 ¥13.20

128.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.38 ¥2.55

257.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$7.03 ¥47.00

333.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.21 ¥8.12

21.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$18.1K ¥121.2K

60.00%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$17.9K ¥119.7K

47.89%

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

$234 A$335

$18.76 ¥125

1145.63%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$10.11 ¥67.6

176.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$11.07 ¥74.0

403.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$60.8 ¥407

-18.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$16.34 ¥109

31.46%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$7.45 ¥49.80

102.55%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$301 ¥2,015

686.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

69.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$45.01 ¥301

77.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$41.36 ¥277

22.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$60.5 ¥404

99.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$58.6 ¥392

122.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$256 ¥1,715

585.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$165 ¥1,105

741.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$631 ¥4,217

454.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$379 ¥2,535

557.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$2,912 ¥19.5K

137.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$1,953 ¥13.1K

229.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.5

68.57%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$165 23.4% 88.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 43.7% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.7% 87.4% $277

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.2% 70.4% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13.1% 46.2% $79

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$25 3.5% 84.7% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$76 10.7% 4.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $216 per month, with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

17:34 5:34 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

831,113

💱 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 →

On the map

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Melbourne Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu differ by about 299% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $707 including rent). Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 $1,061 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $301 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 299% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.