Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Yilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $1,008 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Yilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,008 in Yilan.

Melbourne $2,821
Yilan $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,731 in Yilan.

Melbourne $4,235
Yilan $1,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,455 in Yilan.

Melbourne $5,650
Yilan $2,455

Living in Melbourne is roughly 180% more expensive than in Yilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Yilan is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.55 NT$115

390.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$29.99 NT$973

181.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.61 NT$149

170.28%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.88 NT$93.5

42.71%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.03 NT$33.33

197.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.65 NT$21.18

287.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.52 NT$49.41

544.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.88 NT$93.4

197.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$3.16 NT$102

-53.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.71 NT$55.3

71.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.74 NT$88.7

-2.92%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.62 NT$84.9

111.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$28.52 NT$925

-63.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.15 NT$264

18.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$17.07 NT$554

-10.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.36 NT$142

-8.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.89 NT$61.3

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.10 NT$100

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.17 NT$70.5

122.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.19 NT$38.51

154.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.88 NT$61.1

29.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.41 NT$78.0

2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.86 NT$27.78

89.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.87 NT$125

1038.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$15.70 NT$509

-19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.40 NT$45.55

295.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.45 NT$79.3

113.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.75 NT$24.37

398.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$36.68 NT$1,189

274.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.75 NT$89.1

64.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.97 NT$31.37

40.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.39 NT$305

224.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.02 NT$33.23

44.12%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$25.1K NT$814.8K

15.43%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.5K NT$633.9K

35.43%

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

$234 A$336

$47.16 NT$1,529

395.50%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$15.12 NT$490

84.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$21.30 NT$691

161.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$31.11 NT$1,009

58.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$7.85 NT$255

92.23%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$340 NT$11.0K

597.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$16.6K NT$537.7K

82.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$54.9 NT$1,781

45.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$31.44 NT$1,020

61.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$84.0 NT$2,723

43.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$62.2 NT$2,016

109.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$275 NT$8,930

538.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$254 NT$8,237

447.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$995 NT$32.3K

251.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$727 NT$23.6K

243.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$7,893 NT$256.0K

-12.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$4,975 NT$161.3K

29.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$1,041 NT$33.8K

320.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.27

159.91%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Yilan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Yilan

$254 25.2% 81.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Yilan

$375 37.2% 2.5% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Yilan

$84 8.3% 73.7% $234

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Yilan

$97 9.6% 69.2% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Yilan

$105 10.4% 39.1% $67

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Yilan

$47 4.7% 71.1% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Yilan

$47 4.7% 41.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $275 in Yilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 321% 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 $30.00 in Yilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $375 per month, with Yilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Yilan

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

09:27 9:27 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

95,907

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Yilan 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Yilan differ by about 180% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,008 including rent). Yilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 321% 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 $275 in Yilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $340 in Yilan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,008 in Yilan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yilan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Yilan 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 Yilan 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 Yilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.