Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Yangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangzhou: $680 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
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Melbourne Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Yangzhou
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Yangzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Yangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$680

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Yangzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $680 in Yangzhou.

Melbourne $2,821
Yangzhou $680

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,096 in Yangzhou.

Melbourne $4,235
Yangzhou $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,513 in Yangzhou.

Melbourne $5,650
Yangzhou $1,513

Living in Melbourne is roughly 315% more expensive than in Yangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$2.26 ¥15.14

671.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$11.38 ¥76.1

642.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$2.96 ¥19.80

320.95%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$2.46 ¥16.43

67.07%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.44 ¥2.92

595.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.21 ¥1.40

1100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$1.04 ¥6.95

842.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$2.07 ¥13.86

314.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$1.17 ¥7.85

26.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$1.97 ¥13.18

49.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.80 ¥5.36

232.50%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.02 ¥6.82

443.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$13.79 ¥92.2

-23.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$2.67 ¥17.88

261.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$6.96 ¥46.54

118.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$0.79 ¥5.32

405.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.75 ¥11.67

72.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$0.46 ¥3.09

573.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.05 ¥7.02

359.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.71 ¥4.73

326.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.62 ¥4.16

293.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.86 ¥5.75

186.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.65 ¥4.35

150.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$2.98 ¥19.93

1378.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$11.86 ¥79.3

7.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.88 ¥5.86

529.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.99 ¥13.31

162.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.33 ¥2.18

1033.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$15.39 ¥103

793.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.23 ¥8.25

266.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.26 ¥1.72

423.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$3.65 ¥24.43

734.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.18 ¥7.89

24.58%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

47.51%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$16.4K ¥109.6K

61.61%

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

$234 A$335

$48.33 ¥323

383.51%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$8.14 ¥54.5

243.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$12.04 ¥80.5

362.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$43.22 ¥289

14.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$16.89 ¥113

27.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$6.19 ¥41.37

143.78%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$237 ¥1,586

899.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$7,395 ¥49.5K

308.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$89.1 ¥596

-10.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$32.49 ¥217

56.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$63.0 ¥421

91.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$89.2 ¥597

46.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$252 ¥1,682

599.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$162 ¥1,084

757.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$590 ¥3,945

492.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$395 ¥2,641

531.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$2,520 ¥16.8K

174.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$1,824 ¥12.2K

253.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

$1,261 ¥8,431

247.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.1

90.32%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yangzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Yangzhou

$162 23.9% 88.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Yangzhou

$183 26.9% 52.5% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Yangzhou

$69 10.1% 78.4% $249

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Yangzhou

$68 10.1% 78.3% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Yangzhou

$123 18.1% 28.3% $49

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Yangzhou

$19 2.8% 88.3% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Yangzhou

$56 8.2% 30.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $252 in Yangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 248% 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 $11.00 in Yangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $183 per month, with Yangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Yangzhou

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,559,797

💱 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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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 Yangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Yangzhou differ by about 315% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $680 including rent). Yangzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 248% 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 $252 in Yangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $237 in Yangzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $680 in Yangzhou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yangzhou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Yangzhou 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 Yangzhou 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 Yangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 315% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.