Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zaozhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaozhuang: $667 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Zaozhuang
Learn more

Zaozhuang Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Zaozhuang

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zaozhuang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,849 in Melbourne versus $667 in Zaozhuang.

Melbourne $2,849
Zaozhuang $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,274 in Melbourne versus $1,022 in Zaozhuang.

Melbourne $4,274
Zaozhuang $1,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,699 in Melbourne versus $1,378 in Zaozhuang.

Melbourne $5,699
Zaozhuang $1,378

Living in Melbourne is roughly 327% more expensive than in Zaozhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Zaozhuang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

$1.82 ¥12.14

861.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$11.81 ¥78.6

613.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.29

$2.26 ¥15.04

438.50%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.79

$1.47 ¥9.80

176.87%

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

$3.18 A$4.52

$0.39 ¥2.58

715.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

$0.15 ¥0.97

1566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 A$13.60

$0.91 ¥6.07

951.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.72

$1.77 ¥11.81

366.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.45 ¥9.63

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$1.42 ¥9.44

109.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 A$3.81

$1.23 ¥8.15

117.89%

Eggs

$5.45 A$7.75

$1.06 ¥7.07

414.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 A$15.22

$11.74 ¥78.2

-8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 A$14.28

$3.29 ¥21.90

205.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.31

$11.16 ¥74.3

34.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.78

$1.47 ¥9.76

176.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

$1.03 ¥6.83

204.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.36 ¥9.07

129.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.72

$1.09 ¥7.24

333.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.23

$0.59 ¥3.92

405.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.55

$0.70 ¥4.65

255.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$0.57 ¥3.80

335.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.62 ¥4.09

158.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.65 A$63.4

$3.65 ¥24.27

1123.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.02

$9.84 ¥65.5

28.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$0.71 ¥4.72

681.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.37

$1.36 ¥9.05

280.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.45

$0.28 ¥1.83

1271.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$15.73 ¥105

781.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.19

$1.61 ¥10.72

170.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$0.25 ¥1.65

448.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 A$42.23

$4.48 ¥29.81

563.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.11

$1.30 ¥8.67

14.62%

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

$29.1K A$41.3K

$19.7K ¥131.0K

47.79%

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

$25.7K A$36.5K

$15.3K ¥101.7K

68.03%

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

$236 A$335

$74.1 ¥493

218.07%

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

$28.01 A$39.80

$6.84 ¥45.51

309.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.3

$5.08 ¥33.83

1026.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.8

$43.72 ¥291

10.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.50

$15.67 ¥104

36.95%

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 A$25.10

$5.33 ¥35.47

231.52%

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

$2,461 A$3,497

$215 ¥1,430

1045.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

50.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 A$115

$33.72 ¥224

140.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.0

$42.01 ¥280

17.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$72.4 ¥482

65.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$71.2 ¥474

83.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 A$2,419

$321 ¥2,135

430.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,002

$172 ¥1,146

717.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,496 A$4,967

$630 ¥4,192

454.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 A$3,590

$318 ¥2,113

695.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,978 A$11.3K

$2,866 ¥19.1K

178.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,900 A$9,805

$1,665 ¥11.1K

314.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

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 26, 2026

Last update for Zaozhuang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4%

Zaozhuang

$172 25.9% 87.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$386 13.6%

Zaozhuang

$186 27.9% 51.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$321 11.3%

Zaozhuang

$86 12.9% 73.2% $235

Eating Out

Melbourne

$312 11%

Zaozhuang

$49 7.4% 84.2% $263

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Zaozhuang

$99 14.8% 42.4% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$165 5.8%

Zaozhuang

$20 3% 88.1% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$84 2.9%

Zaozhuang

$54 8.2% 35% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,703 in Melbourne and $321 in Zaozhuang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Melbourne vs $12 in Zaozhuang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $186 per month, with Zaozhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Zaozhuang

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

09:18 9:18 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

2,125,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Zaozhuang 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Zaozhuang

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 Zaozhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,849 in Melbourne and $667 in Zaozhuang, so Zaozhuang is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,273 in Melbourne and $1,000 in Zaozhuang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,703 in Melbourne versus $321 in Zaozhuang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,461 in Melbourne versus $215 in Zaozhuang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $667 in Zaozhuang versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $800 budget is realistic in Zaozhuang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zaozhuang 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.

Expats usually find Zaozhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.