Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zhoushan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $620 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
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Zhoushan Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zhoushan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $620 in Zhoushan.

Melbourne $2,821
Zhoushan $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,005 in Zhoushan.

Melbourne $4,235
Zhoushan $1,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $1,390 in Zhoushan.

Melbourne $5,650
Zhoushan $1,390

Living in Melbourne is roughly 355% more expensive than in Zhoushan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Zhoushan is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$3.39 ¥22.63

414.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$19.03 ¥127

344.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$4.07 ¥27.24

206.14%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.95 ¥19.74

39.32%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.46 ¥3.10

565.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.25 ¥1.66

908.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$0.77 ¥5.15

1172.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$1.84 ¥12.32

365.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.83 ¥12.26

-19.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$2.07 ¥13.87

42.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$0.89 ¥5.95

198.88%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.06 ¥7.07

422.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$13.35 ¥89.2

-21.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$3.51 ¥23.45

174.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$10.96 ¥73.3

38.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$1.53 ¥10.26

160.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.22 ¥8.17

147.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$1.45 ¥9.72

113.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$1.22 ¥8.13

295.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.58 ¥3.88

422.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$0.81 ¥5.42

201.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.63 ¥4.23

290.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.58 ¥3.90

181.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$5.30 ¥35.45

731.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$11.80 ¥78.9

7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$0.88 ¥5.89

529.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.14 ¥14.34

144.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.31 ¥2.10

1106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

$15.13 ¥101

808.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$1.45 ¥9.71

211.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.42 ¥2.81

223.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$8.91 ¥59.6

241.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.22 ¥8.13

20.49%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

49.44%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$16.4K ¥109.7K

61.37%

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

$234 A$336

$36.17 ¥242

546.06%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$11.52 ¥77.0

142.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$27.25 ¥182

104.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$25.31 ¥169

95.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

$7.45 ¥49.79

188.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$5.85 ¥39.10

157.95%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$440 ¥2,942

438.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$16.3K ¥108.7K

85.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$34.64 ¥232

130.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$21.10 ¥141

140.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$65.4 ¥437

84.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$44.10 ¥295

195.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$329 ¥2,197

435.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$119 ¥797

1065.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$745 ¥4,979

369.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$273 ¥1,827

812.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$2,953 ¥19.7K

134.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$2,009 ¥13.4K

220.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$589 ¥3,935

644.64%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Zhoushan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Zhoushan

$119 19.2% 91.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Zhoushan

$209 33.8% 45.5% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Zhoushan

$75 12.1% 76.4% $242

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Zhoushan

$85 13.7% 72.9% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Zhoushan

$74 12% 56.7% $97

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Zhoushan

$20 3.2% 87.8% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Zhoushan

$37 6% 53.5% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,759 in Melbourne and $329 in Zhoushan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 645% 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 $19.00 in Zhoushan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $209 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

1,157,817

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Zhoushan 7,900 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 Zhoushan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Zhoushan differ by about 355% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $620 including rent). Zhoushan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 645% 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 $329 in Zhoushan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,371 in Melbourne versus $440 in Zhoushan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $620 in Zhoushan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhoushan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhoushan 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 Zhoushan 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 Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 355% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.