Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Weihai and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Weihai: $625 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Weihai
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Weihai Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Weihai

🇨🇳 China

$625

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $625 in Weihai versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Weihai $625
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $949 in Weihai versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Weihai $949
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,273 in Weihai versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Weihai $1,273
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Weihai costs roughly 78% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Weihai is 54% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.69

$17.43 A$24.97

-84.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.28 ¥109

$84.6 A$121

-80.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 ¥30.79

$12.46 A$17.85

-63.08%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ¥18.55

$4.11 A$5.88

-32.60%

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

$0.50 ¥3.35

$3.06 A$4.38

-83.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$2.52 A$3.61

-88.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.37

$9.80 A$14.04

-88.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ¥16.97

$8.57 A$12.28

-70.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$1.48 A$2.13

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$2.94 A$4.22

-52.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.57

$2.66 A$3.80

-63.16%

Eggs

$0.94 ¥6.26

$5.54 A$7.94

-83.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.45 ¥69.9

$10.51 A$15.06

-0.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$9.65 A$13.82

-60.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.99 ¥66.8

$15.22 A$21.81

-34.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.99 A$5.72

-74.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.39

$3.02 A$4.32

-73.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$3.10 A$4.44

-50.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$4.82 A$6.90

-73.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$3.03 A$4.34

-84.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$2.44 A$3.50

-82.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ¥4.82

$2.46 A$3.53

-70.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.34

$1.63 A$2.33

-60.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 ¥26.25

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 ¥49.28

$12.70 A$18.20

-41.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$5.54 A$7.93

-92.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$5.23 A$7.49

-70.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ¥1.54

$3.74 A$5.36

-93.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.50 ¥90.3

$138 A$197

-90.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$4.51 A$6.47

-72.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$1.36 A$1.95

-80.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 ¥50.1

$30.45 A$43.62

-75.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ¥8.05

$1.47 A$2.11

-18.37%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$29.0K A$41.5K

-32.50%

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

$16.5K ¥110.6K

$26.5K A$37.9K

-37.56%

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

$45.07 ¥301

$234 A$335

-80.71%

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

$6.89 ¥46.11

$27.93 A$40.01

-75.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.53 ¥50.4

$55.7 A$79.9

-86.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 ¥370

$49.40 A$70.8

12.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.03 ¥60.4

$21.48 A$30.77

-57.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ¥33.15

$15.09 A$21.62

-67.13%

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

$302 ¥2,016

$2,371 A$3,397

-87.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥118.0K

$30.2K A$43.3K

-41.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ¥343

$80.0 A$115

-35.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.56 ¥198

$50.7 A$72.6

-41.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 ¥498

$121 A$173

-38.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.69 ¥306

$130 A$187

-64.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,313

$1,759 A$2,520

-88.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ¥937

$1,390 A$1,991

-89.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥2,181

$3,494 A$5,005

-90.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,308

$2,493 A$3,572

-92.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,796 ¥12.0K

$6,926 A$9,922

-74.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 ¥7,500

$6,445 A$9,233

-82.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$617 ¥4,123

$4,383 A$6,279

-85.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

5.9

-42.88%

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

Last update for Weihai: 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

Weihai

$170 27.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 126% $214

Accommodation & Living

Weihai

$140 22.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 892% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Weihai

$90 14.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 89.9% $81

Eating Out

Weihai

$82 13.1%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 283% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Weihai

$65 10.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 21.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Weihai

$59 9.5%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 434% $258

Getting Around

Weihai

$17 2.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 864% $147

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $196 in Weihai and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 611% 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: $16.00 in Weihai vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $384 per month, with Weihai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Weihai

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

17:30 5:30 PM

3 h ahead of Weihai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,804,800

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

Weihai Melbourne 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Weihai
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

Weihai vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Weihai and Melbourne differ by about 352% in total monthly costs ($625 vs $2,821 including rent). Weihai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 611% 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: $196 in Weihai versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $302 in Weihai 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 125% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $625 in Weihai versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Weihai but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Weihai 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, Weihai 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 Weihai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 352% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.