Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $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 Zhangzhou
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Zhangzhou Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zhangzhou

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

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

Melbourne $2,853
Zhangzhou $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $1,132 in Zhangzhou.

Melbourne $4,275
Zhangzhou $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $1,547 in Zhangzhou.

Melbourne $5,697
Zhangzhou $1,547

Living in Melbourne is roughly 298% more expensive than in Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$2.74 ¥18.35

527.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$21.73 ¥145

282.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$4.80 ¥32.11

158.96%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$3.05 ¥20.39

32.79%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$0.47 ¥3.16

563.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.27 ¥1.78

811.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$0.90 ¥6.01

957.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$2.06 ¥13.75

296.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.81 ¥12.13

-13.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$1.59 ¥10.65

82.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.90 ¥6.03

195.56%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$1.55 ¥10.35

246.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$12.58 ¥84.1

-15.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$3.15 ¥21.08

212.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$10.14 ¥67.8

51.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$1.86 ¥12.45

124.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$1.25 ¥8.36

152.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$1.48 ¥9.91

120.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$1.10 ¥7.38

332.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$0.73 ¥4.88

319.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$0.91 ¥6.11

171.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$0.55 ¥3.70

345.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.56 ¥3.72

191.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$3.06 ¥20.49

1376.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$10.62 ¥71.0

19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$0.73 ¥4.89

679.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.58 ¥10.55

231.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$0.29 ¥1.95

1234.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$16.89 ¥113

740.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.41 ¥9.43

221.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.32 ¥2.17

343.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$6.55 ¥43.79

367.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.12 ¥7.48

31.25%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

50.91%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

50.31%

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

$235 A$338

$45.55 ¥305

416.16%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$9.74 ¥65.1

181.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$11.81 ¥79.0

375.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$41.19 ¥275

21.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$13.66 ¥91.4

57.32%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$5.94 ¥39.75

198.99%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$337 ¥2,251

608.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$16.7K ¥111.4K

78.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$43.23 ¥289

83.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$30.11 ¥201

64.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$71.1 ¥476

66.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$72.8 ¥487

81.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$282 ¥1,886

525.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$196 ¥1,308

621.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$584 ¥3,902

503.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$361 ¥2,411

600.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$2,977 ¥19.9K

139.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$2,003 ¥13.4K

217.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.89

51.67%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 86.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 49.3% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 78.9% $252

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 72.7% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 42.7% $73

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 87.5% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 38% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $22.00 in Zhangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $197 per month, with Zhangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

4,809,983

💱 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 →

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Melbourne Zhangzhou 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Zhangzhou differ by about 298% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $716 including rent). Zhangzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,280 in Melbourne and $1,074 in Zhangzhou 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $337 in Zhangzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $716 in Zhangzhou versus $2,853 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhangzhou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 298% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.