Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Yulin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $716 a month against $2,853 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
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Yulin Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Yulin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $716 in Yulin.

Melbourne $2,853
Yulin $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,122 in Yulin.

Melbourne $4,275
Yulin $1,122

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,529 in Yulin.

Melbourne $5,697
Yulin $1,529

Living in Melbourne is roughly 299% more expensive than in Yulin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 111% above, Yulin is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.20 ¥14.71

681.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$16.38 ¥110

407.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.91 ¥32.81

153.16%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$2.06 ¥13.74

96.60%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.41 ¥2.71

660.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.26 ¥1.75

846.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$1.63 ¥10.87

484.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$2.28 ¥15.21

257.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.85 ¥12.40

-15.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.66 ¥11.11

74.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.86 ¥5.73

209.30%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.81 ¥12.12

196.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$15.47 ¥103

-31.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.35 ¥22.40

194.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$10.67 ¥71.4

43.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.69 ¥11.30

146.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.35 ¥9.00

133.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.46 ¥9.79

123.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.32 ¥8.80

260.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.61 ¥4.09

401.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.00 ¥6.69

147.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.61 ¥4.11

301.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.55 ¥3.71

196.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.43 ¥22.91

1216.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$10.02 ¥67.0

26.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.72 ¥4.85

690.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.45 ¥9.66

260.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.33 ¥2.21

1072.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$17.06 ¥114

732.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.44 ¥9.60

215.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.32 ¥2.16

343.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$8.16 ¥54.6

274.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.38 ¥9.25

6.52%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$18.3K ¥122.5K

57.58%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$19.2K ¥128.7K

34.63%

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

$235 A$338

$56.3 ¥376

317.68%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$8.59 ¥57.5

219.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$11.75 ¥78.6

377.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$43.10 ¥288

16.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$15.68 ¥105

37.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$6.50 ¥43.48

173.23%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$368 ¥2,459

548.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$19.3K ¥128.9K

53.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$43.38 ¥290

82.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$32.95 ¥220

50.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$74.5 ¥498

58.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$75.1 ¥502

75.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$288 ¥1,928

511.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$178 ¥1,190

692.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$651 ¥4,353

441.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$339 ¥2,264

645.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$3,372 ¥22.5K

111.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$1,949 ¥13.0K

225.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$592 ¥3,956

619.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.36

75.60%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Yulin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Yulin

$178 24.9% 87.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Yulin

$209 29.3% 46.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Yulin

$77 10.7% 76% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Yulin

$72 10.1% 76.6% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Yulin

$102 14.2% 40.4% $69

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Yulin

$21 3% 87.3% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Yulin

$56 7.8% 34.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $288 in Yulin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 620% 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: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $16.00 in Yulin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $209 per month, with Yulin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Yulin

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

3,700,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Melbourne Yulin 9,200 km ≈ 12 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 Yulin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Yulin differ by about 299% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $716 including rent). Yulin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 620% 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $288 in Yulin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $368 in Yulin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $716 in Yulin versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yulin but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Yulin 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 Yulin 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 Yulin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 299% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.