Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wuhu

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuhu: $690 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Wuhu
Learn more

Wuhu Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Wuhu

🇨🇳 China

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wuhu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $690 in Wuhu.

Melbourne $2,821
Wuhu $690

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,115 in Wuhu.

Melbourne $4,235
Wuhu $1,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,539 in Wuhu.

Melbourne $5,650
Wuhu $1,539

Living in Melbourne is roughly 309% more expensive than in Wuhu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Wuhu is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.47 ¥16.52

605.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$22.23 ¥149

280.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$3.50 ¥23.42

256.00%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$3.48 ¥23.27

18.10%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.60 ¥4.03

410.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.33 ¥2.24

663.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.22 ¥8.17

703.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.29 ¥15.28

274.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.89 ¥12.67

-21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.60 ¥10.68

83.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$1.05 ¥6.99

153.33%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.58 ¥10.59

250.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$19.09 ¥128

-44.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.80 ¥25.40

153.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$7.96 ¥53.2

91.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.80 ¥12.06

121.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.34 ¥8.97

125.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.50 ¥10.05

106.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.61 ¥10.78

199.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.88 ¥5.88

244.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.92 ¥6.17

165.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.66 ¥4.44

272.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.54 ¥3.62

201.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$4.16 ¥27.83

959.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$7.41 ¥49.53

71.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.68 ¥4.55

714.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.17 ¥7.82

347.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.21 ¥1.40

1680.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$17.25 ¥115

697.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.17 ¥7.80

285.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.30 ¥2.00

353.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$7.31 ¥48.87

316.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.33 ¥8.88

10.53%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$12.1K ¥80.7K

140.21%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$11.1K ¥74.5K

137.70%

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

$234 A$336

$29.85 ¥200

682.85%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$5.11 ¥34.15

446.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$11.04 ¥73.8

404.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$42.00 ¥281

17.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$15.21 ¥102

41.22%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$4.80 ¥32.08

214.37%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$564 ¥3,774

320.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$36.7K ¥245.1K

-17.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$22.81 ¥152

250.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$29.34 ¥196

72.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$73.7 ¥493

63.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$45.64 ¥305

185.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$251 ¥1,677

601.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$197 ¥1,320

603.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$640 ¥4,278

445.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$384 ¥2,565

549.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,488 ¥23.3K

98.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$977 ¥6,530

559.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$815 ¥5,447

437.94%

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 Wuhu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Wuhu

$197 28.6% 85.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Wuhu

$211 30.6% 45.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Wuhu

$46 6.7% 85.5% $271

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Wuhu

$86 12.5% 72.5% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Wuhu

$77 11.2% 55.1% $95

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Wuhu

$21 3% 87.3% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Wuhu

$52 7.5% 35.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $251 in Wuhu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 438% 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 Wuhu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $211 per month, with Wuhu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Wuhu

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,644,420

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Melbourne Wuhu 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Wuhu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wuhu differ by about 309% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $690 including rent). Wuhu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 438% 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 $251 in Wuhu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $564 in Wuhu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $690 in Wuhu versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wuhu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wuhu 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 Wuhu 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 Wuhu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 309% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.