Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Yantai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $629 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Yantai
Learn more

Yantai Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Yantai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $629 in Yantai.

Melbourne $2,821
Yantai $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $926 in Yantai.

Melbourne $4,235
Yantai $926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,223 in Yantai.

Melbourne $5,650
Yantai $1,223

Living in Melbourne is roughly 348% more expensive than in Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Yantai is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$2.92 ¥19.55

496.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$18.14 ¥121

366.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.58 ¥30.65

172.05%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.81 ¥18.78

46.26%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.54 ¥3.58

466.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.32 ¥2.15

687.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.05 ¥7.01

833.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.60 ¥17.39

229.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.96 ¥13.11

-24.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.35 ¥9.01

117.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.83 ¥5.58

220.48%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.35 ¥9.02

310.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$16.32 ¥109

-35.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.28 ¥21.94

194.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$6.89 ¥46.04

120.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.37 ¥9.19

191.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$0.89 ¥5.98

239.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.07 ¥7.16

189.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$0.74 ¥4.92

551.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.67 ¥4.49

352.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.78 ¥5.24

212.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.58 ¥3.91

324.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.63 ¥4.19

158.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.65 ¥24.39

1107.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.68 ¥78.1

8.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.78 ¥5.25

610.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$1.03 ¥6.88

407.77%

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

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.36 ¥9.11

231.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.29 ¥1.92

368.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$6.48 ¥43.30

369.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.23 ¥8.20

19.51%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

50.31%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.4K ¥109.8K

61.27%

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

$234 A$336

$44.64 ¥298

423.48%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$6.79 ¥45.37

311.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$6.09 ¥40.75

815.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$29.60 ¥198

66.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$7.43 ¥49.69

189.10%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.44 ¥36.37

177.39%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$363 ¥2,426

553.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

81.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$17.97 ¥120

345.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$22.78 ¥152

122.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$93.7 ¥626

28.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$90.2 ¥603

44.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$223 ¥1,490

689.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$151 ¥1,010

820.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$353 ¥2,358

890.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$147 ¥982

1596.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$3,056 ¥20.4K

126.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$5,096 ¥34.1K

26.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,063 ¥7,107

312.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.37

75.07%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yantai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Yantai

$151 24% 89.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Yantai

$191 30.3% 50.3% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Yantai

$58 9.1% 81.9% $260

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Yantai

$85 13.5% 73.1% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Yantai

$101 16.1% 41.1% $71

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Yantai

$3.6 * 0.6% 97.8% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Yantai

$40 6.4% 49.1% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $223 in Yantai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 312% 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 $18.00 in Yantai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $191 per month, with Yantai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,871,000

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Yantai 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Yantai

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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Yantai differ by about 348% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $629 including rent). Yantai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 312% 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 $223 in Yantai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $629 in Yantai – a 348% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $629 in Yantai versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yantai but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Yantai 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 Yantai 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 Yantai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 348% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.