Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wuhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuhan: $818 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Wuhan
Learn more

Wuhan Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Wuhan

🇨🇳 China

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wuhan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $818 in Wuhan.

Melbourne $2,852
Wuhan $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,275 in Wuhan.

Melbourne $4,297
Wuhan $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,733 in Wuhan.

Melbourne $5,742
Wuhan $1,733

Living in Melbourne is roughly 249% more expensive than in Wuhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Wuhan is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$2.90 ¥19.35

512.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$22.29 ¥149

280.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$6.60 ¥44.14

84.24%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$2.13 ¥14.21

84.51%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.45 ¥2.98

597.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.31 ¥2.10

683.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.06 ¥7.08

833.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$3.43 ¥22.91

141.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$2.07 ¥13.82

-25.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$1.85 ¥12.34

62.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.00 ¥6.68

188.00%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$1.62 ¥10.81

235.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$13.32 ¥89.0

-20.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$3.62 ¥24.17

165.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$13.38 ¥89.4

12.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.27 ¥15.17

82.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.21 ¥8.10

152.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.40 ¥9.37

135.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.15 ¥7.68

313.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.82 ¥5.51

270.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$0.83 ¥5.53

207.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.34 ¥2.29

629.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.51 ¥3.42

219.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$6.65 ¥44.46

562.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$15.08 ¥101

-17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$0.79 ¥5.29

574.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.08 ¥13.90

148.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.57 ¥3.83

573.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$30.22 ¥202

368.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$1.52 ¥10.19

189.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.29 ¥1.91

382.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$4.16 ¥27.82

617.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.35 ¥9.02

8.15%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

47.42%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$16.8K ¥112.3K

54.35%

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

$233 A$333

$58.1 ¥388

300.57%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$8.57 ¥57.3

218.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$12.07 ¥80.6

372.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$53.0 ¥354

-0.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$14.93 ¥99.8

51.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$5.91 ¥39.48

189.34%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$375 ¥2,508

532.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$11.7K ¥78.3K

159.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$54.7 ¥366

42.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$33.13 ¥221

52.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$78.8 ¥527

52.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$116 ¥778

14.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$344 ¥2,300

397.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$203 ¥1,358

589.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$650 ¥4,345

413.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$353 ¥2,357

617.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$3,088 ¥20.6K

127.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$1,480 ¥9,894

357.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,137 ¥7,598

271.93%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Wuhan: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Wuhan

$203 24.8% 85.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Wuhan

$228 27.7% 40.9% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Wuhan

$79 9.6% 75.2% $238

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Wuhan

$84 10.2% 73.3% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Wuhan

$127 15.5% 26% $45

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Wuhan

$35 4.3% 78.9% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Wuhan

$65 7.9% 25.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $344 in Wuhan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 272% 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 $22.00 in Wuhan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $228 per month, with Wuhan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Wuhan

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

12,450,000

💱 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 Wuhan 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Wuhan

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 Wuhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wuhan differ by about 249% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $818 including rent). Wuhan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 272% 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 $344 in Wuhan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $375 in Wuhan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $818 in Wuhan versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wuhan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wuhan 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 Wuhan 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 Wuhan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.