Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Wuxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuxi: $760 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Wuxi
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Wuxi Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Wuxi

🇨🇳 China

$760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Wuxi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $760 in Wuxi.

Melbourne $2,852
Wuxi $760

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,177 in Wuxi.

Melbourne $4,297
Wuxi $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $1,594 in Wuxi.

Melbourne $5,742
Wuxi $1,594

Living in Melbourne is roughly 275% more expensive than in Wuxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Wuxi is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.40

$3.75 ¥25.07

373.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$23.92 ¥160

254.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.40

$4.39 ¥29.34

176.99%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.05 ¥20.38

28.85%

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

$3.14 A$4.49

$0.49 ¥3.25

540.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.47

$0.30 ¥2.00

710.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.17

$1.46 ¥9.75

578.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.86

$3.02 ¥20.21

174.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.21

$1.87 ¥12.51

-17.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.31

$2.17 ¥14.52

38.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$1.09 ¥7.28

164.22%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.79

$1.85 ¥12.36

194.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.16

$13.32 ¥89.0

-20.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.76

$3.38 ¥22.61

184.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.46

$11.07 ¥74.0

35.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.94

$2.67 ¥17.81

55.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.37

$1.30 ¥8.70

134.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.72

$1.66 ¥11.10

98.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.17 ¥7.83

306.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.68 ¥4.56

347.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.65

$0.80 ¥5.35

218.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.59 ¥3.95

320.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.56 ¥3.73

191.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$5.26 ¥35.13

737.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.79

$11.74 ¥78.5

5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.63

$0.90 ¥6.03

492.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.38

$2.18 ¥14.58

136.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.50

$0.47 ¥3.15

717.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

$18.61 ¥124

660.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.29

$1.51 ¥10.07

191.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.39 ¥2.63

258.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.69

$9.15 ¥61.2

226.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.31 ¥8.78

11.45%

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

$28.1K A$40.3K

$19.6K ¥131.1K

43.52%

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

$25.9K A$37.1K

$19.1K ¥127.7K

35.79%

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

$233 A$333

$37.03 ¥247

528.27%

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

$27.28 A$39.04

$11.63 ¥77.7

134.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.6

$27.41 ¥183

108.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.4

$47.20 ¥315

11.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.37

$7.00 ¥46.75

223.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.48

$5.85 ¥39.09

192.31%

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

$2,373 A$3,397

$431 ¥2,882

450.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

$16.6K ¥110.8K

83.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

$35.65 ¥238

119.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.2

$21.86 ¥146

130.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$65.6 ¥438

83.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$45.45 ¥304

193.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,451

$334 ¥2,231

412.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,006

$205 ¥1,367

585.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,778

$584 ¥3,906

471.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,619

$368 ¥2,462

586.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.0K

$3,654 ¥24.4K

92.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,685

$1,955 ¥13.1K

246.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,051

$1,053 ¥7,035

301.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.13

88.50%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Wuxi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Wuxi

$205 27% 85.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Wuxi

$221 29.2% 42.6% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Wuxi

$76 10.1% 76% $241

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Wuxi

$96 12.7% 69.3% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Wuxi

$76 10% 55.9% $96

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Wuxi

$24 3.2% 85.8% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Wuxi

$59 7.8% 32.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $334 in Wuxi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 302% 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 $24.00 in Wuxi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $221 per month, with Wuxi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Wuxi

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

14:07 2:07 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

7,462,135

💱 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 →

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Melbourne Wuxi 8,130 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 Wuxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Wuxi differ by about 275% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $760 including rent). Wuxi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 302% 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 $334 in Wuxi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,373 in Melbourne versus $431 in Wuxi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $760 in Wuxi versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wuxi but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Wuxi 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 Wuxi 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 Wuxi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 275% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.