Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zhongli City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $993 in Zhongli City.

Melbourne $2,821
Zhongli City $993

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,675 in Zhongli City.

Melbourne $4,235
Zhongli City $1,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,357 in Zhongli City.

Melbourne $5,650
Zhongli City $2,357

Living in Melbourne is roughly 184% more expensive than in Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Zhongli City is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.62 NT$150

277.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$31.29 NT$1,015

170.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.77 NT$155

161.22%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.57 NT$83.4

59.92%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.03 NT$33.52

197.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.69 NT$22.35

265.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.61 NT$52.2

508.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.75 NT$89.1

211.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$3.18 NT$103

-53.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.74 NT$56.3

68.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.71 NT$87.9

-1.85%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.60 NT$84.3

113.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$12.77 NT$414

-17.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$7.09 NT$230

36.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$15.39 NT$499

-1.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$3.74 NT$121

6.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.97 NT$63.8

53.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$3.08 NT$99.9

0.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$2.22 NT$72.1

117.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$1.23 NT$39.81

146.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$1.90 NT$61.5

28.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.44 NT$79.0

0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.85 NT$27.52

91.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.77 NT$122

1068.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$15.45 NT$501

-17.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.55 NT$50.2

257.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.55 NT$82.8

105.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.61 NT$19.90

513.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$37.64 NT$1,221

265.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$2.68 NT$86.8

68.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.58 NT$18.72

134.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.61 NT$312

216.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.97 NT$31.60

51.55%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-12.30%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$23.3K NT$754.6K

13.76%

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

$234 A$336

$106 NT$3,433

120.72%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$14.76 NT$479

89.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$17.14 NT$556

225.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.62 NT$312

56.86%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$344 NT$11.1K

589.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$16.9K NT$546.5K

79.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$72.1 NT$2,338

10.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$36.46 NT$1,182

39.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$55.0 NT$1,782

119.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$108 NT$3,505

20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$448 NT$14.5K

292.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$251 NT$8,125

454.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$874 NT$28.3K

299.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$716 NT$23.2K

248.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,288 NT$74.2K

91.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.1

180.95%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Zhongli City

$251 25.2% 82% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Zhongli City

$315 31.8% 17.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Zhongli City

$138 13.9% 56.6% $180

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Zhongli City

$103 10.3% 67.4% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Zhongli City

$122 12.3% 28.8% $50

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Zhongli City

$46 4.6% 72.1% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Zhongli City

$19 * 1.9% 75.8% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $448 in Zhongli City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 92% 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 $31.00 in Zhongli City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $315 per month, with Zhongli City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

10:54 10:54 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

396,453

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Melbourne Zhongli City 7,410 km ≈ 10 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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Zhongli City differ by about 184% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $993 including rent). Zhongli City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 92% 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 $448 in Zhongli City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $344 in Zhongli City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $993 in Zhongli City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhongli City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhongli City 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 Zhongli City 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 Zhongli City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 184% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.