Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Melbourne versus $1,055 in Zhubei City.

Melbourne $2,821
Zhubei City $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,235 in Melbourne versus $1,841 in Zhubei City.

Melbourne $4,235
Zhubei City $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,650 in Melbourne versus $2,627 in Zhubei City.

Melbourne $5,650
Zhubei City $2,627

Living in Melbourne is roughly 167% more expensive than in Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 109% above, Zhubei City is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 A$25.08

$4.83 NT$157

260.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 A$122

$28.00 NT$908

201.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.46 A$17.92

$5.07 NT$164

145.76%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.91

$2.89 NT$93.8

42.21%

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

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.91 NT$29.41

236.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 A$3.62

$0.59 NT$19.02

327.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.80 A$14.10

$1.93 NT$62.5

407.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.33 NT$75.6

267.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.14

$2.79 NT$90.4

-46.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.23

$1.87 NT$60.7

57.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$4.59 NT$149

-42.05%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.97

$2.85 NT$92.5

94.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 A$15.13

$24.76 NT$803

-57.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.89

$8.37 NT$271

15.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.22 A$21.91

$25.93 NT$841

-41.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 A$5.75

$4.04 NT$131

-1.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.42 NT$78.5

24.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.69 NT$87.3

15.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.93

$3.27 NT$106

47.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.02 NT$97.9

0.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.52

$2.02 NT$65.5

20.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.06 NT$66.9

19.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.33 NT$43.25

22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.4

$3.88 NT$126

1035.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 A$18.28

$9.23 NT$299

37.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.54 A$7.97

$1.43 NT$46.36

287.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.52

$2.33 NT$75.4

124.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

$0.61 NT$19.85

513.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 A$6.50

$3.10 NT$101

45.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.64 NT$20.76

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

$9.25 NT$300

229.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.12

$0.99 NT$32.17

48.48%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-13.35%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$24.8K NT$805.7K

6.55%

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

$234 A$336

$103 NT$3,331

127.51%

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

$27.93 A$40.19

$18.96 NT$615

47.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$22.80 NT$739

144.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 A$71.1

$31.40 NT$1,018

57.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$9.99 NT$324

51.05%

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

$2,371 A$3,412

$646 NT$20.9K

267.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

$16.5K NT$533.8K

83.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$57.7 NT$1,870

38.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

$31.13 NT$1,010

62.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$90.8 NT$2,946

32.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

$99.0 NT$3,209

31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 A$2,531

$501 NT$16.2K

251.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 A$2,000

$217 NT$7,032

540.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,494 A$5,027

$1,100 NT$35.7K

217.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,493 A$3,588

$768 NT$24.9K

224.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-57.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-33.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

$2,391 NT$77.5K

83.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.4

145.83%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 84.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$384 13.6%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 4.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.3%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 54.5% $173

Eating Out

Melbourne

$315 11.2%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 65.4% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 27% $46

Getting Around

Melbourne

$164 5.8%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 94.7% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$80 2.8%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 35.5% $28

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 $501 in Zhubei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 83% 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $400, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

211,746

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Melbourne Zhubei City 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Zhubei City

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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Zhubei City differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,055 including rent). Zhubei City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 83% 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 $501 in Zhubei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Melbourne versus $1,055 in Zhubei City – a 167% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,055 in Zhubei City versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhubei City but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhubei 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 Zhubei 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 Zhubei City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.