Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tianjin and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $885 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$885

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Tianjin versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Tianjin $885
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Tianjin versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Tianjin $1,352
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,820 in Tianjin versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Tianjin $1,820
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Tianjin costs roughly 69% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tianjin is 34% below, Melbourne is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ¥27.46

$17.75 A$25.40

-76.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.08 ¥161

$84.8 A$121

-71.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.09 ¥40.69

$12.16 A$17.40

-49.92%

Cappuccino

$4.09 ¥27.32

$3.93 A$5.62

4.07%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$3.14 A$4.49

-85.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$2.43 A$3.47

-88.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$9.90 A$14.17

-90.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.79

$8.29 A$11.86

-78.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.81

$1.55 A$2.21

-5.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 ¥14.99

$3.01 A$4.31

-25.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$2.88 A$4.12

-42.36%

Eggs

$1.31 ¥8.76

$5.44 A$7.79

-75.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.11 ¥101

$10.59 A$15.16

42.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ¥24.57

$9.61 A$13.76

-61.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.81 ¥65.5

$14.99 A$21.46

-34.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.78

$4.15 A$5.94

-61.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$3.05 A$4.37

-47.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$3.30 A$4.72

-47.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$4.76 A$6.81

-75.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$3.04 A$4.34

-70.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$2.55 A$3.65

-53.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$2.48 A$3.55

-72.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.64

$1.63 A$2.33

-57.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.23 ¥34.98

$44.07 A$63.1

-88.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 ¥90.8

$12.43 A$17.79

9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$5.33 A$7.63

-81.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ¥16.81

$5.16 A$7.38

-51.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$3.84 A$5.50

-92.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.97 ¥59.9

$142 A$203

-93.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$4.40 A$6.29

-63.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$1.40 A$2.01

-74.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 ¥41.56

$29.83 A$42.69

-79.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.46 A$2.09

-15.07%

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

$19.5K ¥130.0K

$28.1K A$40.3K

-30.88%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$25.9K A$37.1K

-32.22%

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

$92.9 ¥621

$233 A$333

-60.05%

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

$6.36 ¥42.51

$27.28 A$39.04

-76.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.34 ¥49.08

$57.0 A$81.6

-87.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.57 ¥111

$52.7 A$75.4

-68.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$22.62 A$32.37

-53.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ¥50.6

$17.10 A$24.48

-55.73%

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

$638 ¥4,262

$2,373 A$3,397

-73.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 ¥364

$78.2 A$112

-30.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.27 ¥196

$50.5 A$72.2

-42.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ¥735

$121 A$172

-8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ¥938

$133 A$191

5.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥2,254

$1,713 A$2,451

-80.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 ¥1,641

$1,402 A$2,006

-82.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 ¥4,284

$3,339 A$4,778

-80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥3,032

$2,529 A$3,619

-82.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,339 ¥35.7K

$7,018 A$10.0K

-23.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,335 ¥15.6K

$6,767 A$9,685

-65.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,164 ¥7,776

$4,228 A$6,051

-72.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

5.9

-40.00%

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

Last update for Tianjin: October 4, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tianjin

$246 27.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 471% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Tianjin

$226 25.5%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 70.6% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Tianjin

$150 17%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 14.5% $22

Eating Out

Tianjin

$111 12.6%

Melbourne

$314 11% 182% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tianjin

$107 12.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 197% $210

Sport & Entertainment

Tianjin

$32 3.6%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 174% $55

Getting Around

Tianjin

$14 1.5%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 1143% $155

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $337 in Tianjin and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 263% 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: $24.00 in Tianjin vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $385 per month, with Tianjin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

3 h ahead of Tianjin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,866,009

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Tianjin Melbourne 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tianjin
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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

Tianjin vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tianjin and Melbourne differ by about 222% in total monthly costs ($885 vs $2,852 including rent). Tianjin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 263% 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: $337 in Tianjin versus $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $638 in Tianjin 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 71% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $885 in Tianjin versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tianjin but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tianjin 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, Tianjin 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 Tianjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 222% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.