Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $707 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $707
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,185 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,185
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,663 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,663
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu costs roughly 75% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is 48% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 ¥25.64

$17.43 A$24.97

-78.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.02 ¥174

$84.6 A$121

-69.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 ¥30.58

$12.46 A$17.85

-63.32%

Cappuccino

$3.17 ¥21.21

$4.11 A$5.88

-22.87%

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

$0.48 ¥3.23

$3.06 A$4.38

-84.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.04

$2.52 A$3.61

-87.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$9.80 A$14.04

-90.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$8.57 A$12.28

-82.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$1.48 A$2.13

20.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$2.94 A$4.22

-59.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$2.66 A$3.80

-67.29%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥13.85

$5.54 A$7.94

-62.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ¥131

$10.51 A$15.06

85.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ¥24.70

$9.65 A$13.82

-61.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.16 ¥41.17

$15.22 A$21.81

-59.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ¥15.56

$3.99 A$5.72

-41.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.25

$3.02 A$4.32

-54.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$3.10 A$4.44

-52.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$4.82 A$6.90

-72.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$3.03 A$4.34

-71.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.77

$2.44 A$3.50

-64.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.18

$2.46 A$3.53

-74.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.63 A$2.33

-66.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ¥23.90

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 ¥89.3

$12.70 A$18.20

5.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥5.01

$5.54 A$7.93

-86.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.68

$5.23 A$7.49

-72.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$3.74 A$5.36

-91.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 ¥133

$138 A$197

-85.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 ¥13.20

$4.51 A$6.47

-56.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$1.36 A$1.95

-72.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.00

$30.45 A$43.62

-76.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.12

$1.47 A$2.11

-17.69%

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

$18.1K ¥121.2K

$29.0K A$41.5K

-37.50%

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

$17.9K ¥119.7K

$26.5K A$37.9K

-32.38%

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

$18.76 ¥125

$234 A$335

-91.97%

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

$10.11 ¥67.6

$27.93 A$40.01

-63.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥74.0

$55.7 A$79.9

-80.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.8 ¥407

$49.40 A$70.8

23.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.34 ¥109

$21.48 A$30.77

-23.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 ¥49.80

$15.09 A$21.62

-50.63%

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

$301 ¥2,015

$2,371 A$3,397

-87.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$30.2K A$43.3K

-41.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.01 ¥301

$80.0 A$115

-43.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.36 ¥277

$50.7 A$72.6

-18.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥404

$121 A$173

-49.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.6 ¥392

$130 A$187

-55.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 ¥1,715

$1,759 A$2,520

-85.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ¥1,105

$1,390 A$1,991

-88.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 ¥4,217

$3,494 A$5,005

-81.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥2,535

$2,493 A$3,572

-84.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 ¥19.5K

$6,926 A$9,922

-57.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,953 ¥13.1K

$6,445 A$9,233

-69.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.9

-40.68%

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

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 77.8% $168

Accommodation & Living

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$165 23.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 741% $1.2K

Eating Out

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.2%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 238% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 85.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$76 10.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 5.1% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 695% $277

Getting Around

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$25 3.5%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 555% $139

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $384 per month, with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

3 h ahead of Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

831,113

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Melbourne 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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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

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and Melbourne differ by about 299% in total monthly costs ($707 vs $2,821 including rent). Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,061 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu and $4,231 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $301 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 78% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 299% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.