Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanchang and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchang: $648 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.

32

Cost of Living Index in Nanchang
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Nanchang Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Nanchang

🇨🇳 China

$648

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $648 in Nanchang versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Nanchang $648
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,058 in Nanchang versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Nanchang $1,058
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,467 in Nanchang versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Nanchang $1,467
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Nanchang 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: Nanchang is 52% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.35 ¥15.71

$17.43 A$24.97

-86.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.21 ¥122

$84.6 A$121

-78.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 ¥32.19

$12.46 A$17.85

-61.40%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ¥17.29

$4.11 A$5.88

-36.98%

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

$0.44 ¥2.92

$3.06 A$4.38

-85.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$2.52 A$3.61

-89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$9.80 A$14.04

-86.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$8.57 A$12.28

-77.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ¥13.71

$1.48 A$2.13

38.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 ¥16.08

$2.94 A$4.22

-18.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.64

$2.66 A$3.80

-68.42%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$5.54 A$7.94

-69.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.6

$10.51 A$15.06

26.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.95 ¥26.45

$9.65 A$13.82

-59.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 ¥78.7

$15.22 A$21.81

-22.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.29

$3.99 A$5.72

-50.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.22

$3.02 A$4.32

-64.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ¥12.74

$3.10 A$4.44

-38.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.13

$4.82 A$6.90

-62.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$3.03 A$4.34

-69.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$2.44 A$3.50

-53.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$2.46 A$3.53

-75.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.63 A$2.33

-73.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ¥20.51

$44.07 A$63.1

-93.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 ¥83.1

$12.70 A$18.20

-2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$5.54 A$7.93

-85.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$5.23 A$7.49

-70.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ¥1.75

$3.74 A$5.36

-93.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.93 ¥99.8

$138 A$197

-89.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$4.51 A$6.47

-72.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.36 A$1.95

-77.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 ¥48.76

$30.45 A$43.62

-76.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.47 A$2.11

-14.97%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$29.0K A$41.5K

-34.14%

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

$17.9K ¥119.4K

$26.5K A$37.9K

-32.57%

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

$34.93 ¥234

$234 A$335

-85.05%

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

$9.27 ¥62.0

$27.93 A$40.01

-66.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.34 ¥89.3

$55.7 A$79.9

-76.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.85 ¥287

$49.40 A$70.8

-13.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 ¥131

$21.48 A$30.77

-8.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.42 ¥42.92

$15.09 A$21.62

-57.46%

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

$326 ¥2,177

$2,371 A$3,397

-86.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$30.2K A$43.3K

-44.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.86 ¥253

$80.0 A$115

-52.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.07 ¥148

$50.7 A$72.6

-56.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ¥586

$121 A$173

-27.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ¥406

$130 A$187

-53.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,493

$1,759 A$2,520

-87.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ¥791

$1,390 A$1,991

-91.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 ¥3,014

$3,494 A$5,005

-87.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,719

$2,493 A$3,572

-89.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,008 ¥13.4K

$6,926 A$9,922

-71.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,624 ¥10.9K

$6,445 A$9,233

-74.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$745 ¥4,985

$4,383 A$6,279

-82.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.9

-41.36%

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

Last update for Nanchang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanchang

$227 35%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 69.2% $157

Accommodation & Living

Nanchang

$118 18.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 1074% $1.3K

Clothing & Footwear

Nanchang

$94 14.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 83.4% $78

Eating Out

Nanchang

$77 11.9%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 306% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanchang

$58 8.9%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 452% $260

Sport & Entertainment

Nanchang

$56 8.6%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 42.9% $24

Getting Around

Nanchang

$19 2.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 773% $145

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Nanchang and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 488% 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 Nanchang vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $384 per month, with Nanchang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanchang

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

3 h ahead of Nanchang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,042,566

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Nanchang Melbourne 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanchang
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

Nanchang vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanchang and Melbourne differ by about 335% in total monthly costs ($648 vs $2,821 including rent). Nanchang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 488% 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: $223 in Nanchang versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $326 in Nanchang versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $648 in Nanchang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nanchang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Nanchang 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, Nanchang 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 Nanchang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 335% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.