Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,134 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Shenzhen $1,134
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,734 in Shenzhen versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Shenzhen $1,734
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,333 in Shenzhen versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Shenzhen $2,333
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Shenzhen costs roughly 60% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shenzhen is 15% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 ¥24.37

$17.75 A$25.49

-79.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.70 ¥199

$84.8 A$122

-64.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.24

$12.16 A$17.46

-57.89%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥21.50

$3.93 A$5.64

-18.32%

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

$0.59 ¥3.92

$3.14 A$4.51

-81.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$2.43 A$3.49

-86.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$9.90 A$14.22

-85.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$8.29 A$11.91

-72.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.40

$1.55 A$2.22

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.98

$3.01 A$4.32

-45.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$2.88 A$4.14

-62.15%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.80

$5.44 A$7.82

-67.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.95 ¥140

$10.59 A$15.22

97.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ¥22.65

$9.61 A$13.81

-64.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥96.2

$14.99 A$21.54

-4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.49

$4.15 A$5.96

-44.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ¥10.72

$3.05 A$4.38

-47.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.63

$3.30 A$4.74

-42.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.45

$4.76 A$6.83

-70.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.17

$3.04 A$4.36

-64.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.29

$2.55 A$3.66

-51.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$2.48 A$3.56

-76.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$1.63 A$2.34

-63.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 ¥30.40

$44.07 A$63.3

-89.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ¥79.1

$12.43 A$17.85

-4.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$5.33 A$7.65

-82.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$5.16 A$7.41

-65.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$3.84 A$5.52

-84.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 ¥147

$142 A$203

-84.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.76

$4.40 A$6.32

-66.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$1.40 A$2.01

-72.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.75

$29.83 A$42.84

-76.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.07

$1.46 A$2.09

-7.53%

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

$19.3K ¥129.5K

$28.1K A$40.4K

-31.26%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-28.39%

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

$63.8 ¥427

$233 A$334

-72.58%

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

$10.04 ¥67.2

$27.28 A$39.19

-63.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.28 ¥109

$57.0 A$81.9

-71.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ¥336

$52.7 A$75.7

-4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 ¥114

$22.62 A$32.49

-24.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.71

$17.10 A$24.57

-57.43%

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

$523 ¥3,502

$2,373 A$3,409

-77.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K ¥159.4K

$30.5K A$43.8K

-21.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$78.2 A$112

-29.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 ¥271

$50.5 A$72.5

-19.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥482

$121 A$173

-40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 ¥618

$133 A$191

-30.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,111

$1,713 A$2,460

-55.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 ¥3,243

$1,402 A$2,014

-65.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 ¥13.0K

$3,339 A$4,796

-41.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ¥5,659

$2,529 A$3,632

-66.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.0K ¥93.8K

$7,018 A$10.1K

99.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 ¥41.1K

$6,767 A$9,721

-9.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,693 ¥11.3K

$4,228 A$6,074

-59.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.9

-43.22%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$484 42.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 189% $917

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 54.7% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 47% $55

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$99 8.7%

Melbourne

$314 11% 219% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 252% $227

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 34% $22

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.4%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 508% $141

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $764 in Shenzhen and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 150% 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: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $385 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

3 h ahead of Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shenzhen Melbourne 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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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

Shenzhen vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen and Melbourne differ by about 151% in total monthly costs ($1,134 vs $2,852 including rent). Shenzhen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 150% 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: $764 in Shenzhen versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $523 in Shenzhen versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenzhen but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Shenzhen 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, Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.