Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zhangjiagang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $740 in Zhangjiagang.

Melbourne $2,821
Zhangjiagang $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,149 in Zhangjiagang.

Melbourne $4,235
Zhangjiagang $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,558 in Zhangjiagang.

Melbourne $5,650
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Living in Melbourne is roughly 281% more expensive than in Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Zhangjiagang is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$24.97

$3.80 ¥25.43

358.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$121

$22.20 ¥148

280.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.85

$4.98 ¥33.31

150.20%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.88

$3.04 ¥20.32

35.20%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.49 ¥3.29

524.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.61

$0.27 ¥1.81

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.04

$1.51 ¥10.09

549.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.28

$2.22 ¥14.84

286.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.13

$2.08 ¥13.90

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.22

$2.09 ¥13.95

40.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.80

$0.84 ¥5.64

216.67%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.36 ¥9.09

307.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.06

$10.64 ¥71.1

-1.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.82

$2.93 ¥19.60

229.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.81

$9.12 ¥61.0

66.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.72

$2.04 ¥13.66

95.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.29 ¥8.64

134.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.80 ¥12.04

72.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.11 ¥7.39

334.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$0.90 ¥5.99

236.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$0.90 ¥6.03

171.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$0.87 ¥5.80

182.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.53 ¥3.51

207.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.1

$3.64 ¥24.37

1110.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.20

$13.44 ¥89.9

-5.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.93

$0.94 ¥6.27

489.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.56 ¥10.44

235.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.36

$0.30 ¥1.99

1146.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$197

$17.58 ¥118

682.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.47

$1.76 ¥11.78

156.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.39 ¥2.60

248.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.62

$8.76 ¥58.6

247.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.37 ¥9.14

7.30%

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

$29.0K A$41.5K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

51.24%

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

$26.5K A$37.9K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

57.07%

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

$234 A$335

$55.8 ¥373

319.16%

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

$27.93 A$40.01

$7.76 ¥51.9

259.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.9

$7.32 ¥48.98

661.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$70.8

$36.15 ¥242

36.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.77

$16.01 ¥107

34.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.62

$6.07 ¥40.61

148.60%

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

$2,371 A$3,397

$418 ¥2,794

467.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.3K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

35.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$42.99 ¥288

86.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$72.6

$34.04 ¥228

48.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$65.7 ¥439

83.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$88.5 ¥592

47.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,520

$280 ¥1,869

529.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$1,991

$194 ¥1,295

617.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,005

$719 ¥4,809

385.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,572

$324 ¥2,168

669.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,922

$3,266 ¥21.8K

112.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,233

$1,685 ¥11.3K

282.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.42

72.51%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 86.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 46.9% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 77.7% $247

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 69.2% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 39.4% $68

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 86.3% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 39.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $204 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,432,044

💱 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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Between locations

Melbourne Zhangjiagang 8,150 km ≈ 11 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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Zhangjiagang differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $740 including rent). Zhangjiagang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,231 in Melbourne and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang 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: $1,759 in Melbourne versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $418 in Zhangjiagang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.