Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mianyang, Sichuan and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan: $646 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Mianyang, Sichuan
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Mianyang, Sichuan Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Mianyang, Sichuan

🇨🇳 China

$646

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mianyang, Sichuan and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mianyang, Sichuan and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Mianyang, Sichuan $646
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $998 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Mianyang, Sichuan $998
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,350 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Mianyang, Sichuan $1,350
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Mianyang, Sichuan costs roughly 77% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mianyang, Sichuan is 52% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.51

$17.43 A$25.18

-83.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 ¥119

$84.6 A$122

-78.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.70

$12.46 A$18.00

-60.75%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.86

$4.11 A$5.94

-27.74%

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

$0.43 ¥2.89

$3.06 A$4.42

-85.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$2.52 A$3.64

-88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$9.80 A$14.16

-85.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.09

$8.57 A$12.38

-73.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.13

$1.48 A$2.15

2.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.33

$2.94 A$4.25

-47.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$2.66 A$3.84

-62.78%

Eggs

$1.62 ¥10.83

$5.54 A$8.01

-70.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 ¥97.3

$10.51 A$15.19

38.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.42

$9.65 A$13.94

-62.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.95 ¥73.2

$15.22 A$22.00

-28.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.93

$3.99 A$5.77

-55.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$3.02 A$4.36

-56.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.07

$3.10 A$4.48

-65.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.66

$4.82 A$6.96

-76.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$3.03 A$4.38

-76.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$2.44 A$3.53

-70.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$2.46 A$3.56

-76.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.63 A$2.35

-64.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ¥24.76

$44.07 A$63.7

-91.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.56 ¥30.46

$12.70 A$18.36

-64.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$5.54 A$8.00

-85.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ¥8.68

$5.23 A$7.55

-75.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$3.74 A$5.40

-92.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$199

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$4.51 A$6.52

-76.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$1.36 A$1.96

-80.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 ¥30.57

$30.45 A$44.00

-84.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.47 A$2.13

-14.97%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$29.0K A$41.9K

-32.30%

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

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$26.5K A$38.3K

-34.25%

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

$47.71 ¥319

$234 A$338

-79.58%

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

$6.41 ¥42.80

$27.93 A$40.35

-77.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.51 ¥83.6

$55.7 A$80.6

-77.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.89 ¥120

$49.40 A$71.4

-63.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$31.04

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ¥38.89

$15.09 A$21.81

-61.43%

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

$366 ¥2,446

$2,371 A$3,426

-84.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.9K

$30.2K A$43.6K

-50.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.80 ¥166

$80.0 A$116

-68.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.86 ¥186

$50.7 A$73.3

-45.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.0 ¥388

$121 A$174

-51.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥356

$130 A$188

-59.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,508

$1,759 A$2,542

-87.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,291

$1,390 A$2,008

-86.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥2,747

$3,494 A$5,048

-88.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,226

$2,493 A$3,603

-86.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,710 ¥18.1K

$6,926 A$10.0K

-60.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,816 ¥12.1K

$6,445 A$9,313

-71.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$732 ¥4,890

$4,383 A$6,333

-83.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

5.9

-47.46%

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

Last update for Mianyang, Sichuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mianyang, Sichuan

$193 29.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 619% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 101% $193

Eating Out

Mianyang, Sichuan

$88 13.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 256% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Mianyang, Sichuan

$74 11.4%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 133% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mianyang, Sichuan

$67 10.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 376% $251

Sport & Entertainment

Mianyang, Sichuan

$30 4.6%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 170% $50

Getting Around

Mianyang, Sichuan

$3.5 * 0.5%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 4566% $160

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 $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 499% 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: $18.00 in Mianyang, Sichuan vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $384 per month, with Mianyang, Sichuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

3 h ahead of Mianyang, Sichuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,868,243

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.692 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mianyang, Sichuan Melbourne 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mianyang, Sichuan
Melbourne

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

Mianyang, Sichuan vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mianyang, Sichuan and Melbourne differ by about 336% in total monthly costs ($646 vs $2,821 including rent). Mianyang, Sichuan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 499% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $646 per month in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 336% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mianyang, Sichuan but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Mianyang, Sichuan 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, Mianyang, Sichuan and Melbourne 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 Mianyang, Sichuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 336% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.