Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
Learn more

Zhangjiakou Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zhangjiakou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $776 in Zhangjiakou.

Melbourne $2,821
Zhangjiakou $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,216 in Zhangjiakou.

Melbourne $4,235
Zhangjiakou $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,656 in Zhangjiakou.

Melbourne $5,650
Zhangjiakou $1,656

Living in Melbourne is roughly 263% more expensive than in Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Zhangjiakou is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.18

$2.20 ¥14.72

692.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$24.17 ¥161

249.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$18.00

$6.05 ¥40.41

105.95%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.94

$3.52 ¥23.50

16.76%

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

$3.06 A$4.42

$0.51 ¥3.42

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.64

$0.26 ¥1.72

869.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.16

$0.94 ¥6.30

942.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.38

$1.76 ¥11.74

386.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.15

$1.44 ¥9.61

2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.25

$2.31 ¥15.42

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.84

$1.06 ¥7.10

150.94%

Eggs

$5.54 A$8.01

$1.02 ¥6.81

443.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.19

$14.81 ¥99.0

-29.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.94

$2.93 ¥19.57

229.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$22.00

$9.37 ¥62.6

62.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.77

$1.62 ¥10.80

146.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.36

$0.93 ¥6.21

224.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.48

$1.77 ¥11.86

75.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.96

$1.23 ¥8.23

291.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.38

$0.80 ¥5.34

278.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.53

$0.58 ¥3.86

320.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.56

$0.63 ¥4.19

290.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.35

$0.72 ¥4.79

126.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.7

$3.84 ¥25.63

1047.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.36

$13.47 ¥90.0

-5.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$8.00

$1.07 ¥7.18

417.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.55

$2.45 ¥16.34

113.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.40

$0.31 ¥2.10

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$199

$17.91 ¥120

667.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.52

$1.07 ¥7.18

321.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.32 ¥2.16

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$44.00

$6.15 ¥41.07

395.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.13

$1.21 ¥8.10

21.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.9K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

47.64%

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

$26.5K A$38.3K

$17.5K ¥116.8K

51.48%

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

$234 A$338

$93.0 ¥622

151.16%

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

$27.93 A$40.35

$6.24 ¥41.69

347.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.6

$7.62 ¥50.9

631.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.4

$41.33 ¥276

19.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$31.04

$14.92 ¥99.7

43.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.81

$7.53 ¥50.3

100.40%

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

$2,371 A$3,426

$342 ¥2,288

592.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.6K

$5,359 ¥35.8K

463.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$116

$44.47 ¥297

79.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.3

$28.44 ¥190

78.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$98.7 ¥659

22.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$60.5 ¥404

115.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,542

$304 ¥2,029

479.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,008

$186 ¥1,242

647.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,048

$625 ¥4,175

459.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,603

$370 ¥2,470

574.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$10.0K

$3,819 ¥25.5K

81.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,313

$1,933 ¥12.9K

233.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,333

$396 ¥2,643

1008.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.54

66.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Zhangjiakou

$186 23.9% 86.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Zhangjiakou

$212 27.3% 44.8% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Zhangjiakou

$107 13.8% 66.3% $210

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Zhangjiakou

$89 11.5% 71.6% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Zhangjiakou

$104 13.5% 39.2% $67

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Zhangjiakou

$22 2.8% 86.7% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Zhangjiakou

$56 7.3% 29.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $304 in Zhangjiakou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1008% 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 $24.00 in Zhangjiakou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $212 per month, with Zhangjiakou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,345,491

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.692 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.692 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Zhangjiakou 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Zhangjiakou differ by about 263% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $776 including rent). Zhangjiakou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1008% 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 $304 in Zhangjiakou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $342 in Zhangjiakou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou 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 Zhangjiakou 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 Zhangjiakou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 263% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.