Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangjiagang and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
Learn more

Zhangjiagang Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Zhangjiagang $740
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,149 in Zhangjiagang versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Zhangjiagang $1,149
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Zhangjiagang versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Zhangjiagang $1,558
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Zhangjiagang costs roughly 74% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zhangjiagang is 45% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ¥25.43

$17.43 A$24.97

-78.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.20 ¥148

$84.6 A$121

-73.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.31

$12.46 A$17.85

-60.03%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.32

$4.11 A$5.88

-26.03%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$3.06 A$4.38

-83.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$2.52 A$3.61

-89.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$9.80 A$14.04

-84.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥14.84

$8.57 A$12.28

-74.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ¥13.90

$1.48 A$2.13

40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$2.94 A$4.22

-28.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.64

$2.66 A$3.80

-68.42%

Eggs

$1.36 ¥9.09

$5.54 A$7.94

-75.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$10.51 A$15.06

1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 ¥19.60

$9.65 A$13.82

-69.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.12 ¥61.0

$15.22 A$21.81

-40.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.66

$3.99 A$5.72

-48.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.64

$3.02 A$4.32

-57.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.04

$3.10 A$4.44

-41.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$4.82 A$6.90

-76.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 ¥5.99

$3.03 A$4.34

-70.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$2.44 A$3.50

-63.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$2.46 A$3.53

-64.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.51

$1.63 A$2.33

-67.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.37

$44.07 A$63.1

-91.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 ¥89.9

$12.70 A$18.20

5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$5.54 A$7.93

-83.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$5.23 A$7.49

-70.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥1.99

$3.74 A$5.36

-91.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.58 ¥118

$138 A$197

-87.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ¥11.78

$4.51 A$6.47

-60.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$1.36 A$1.95

-71.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ¥58.6

$30.45 A$43.62

-71.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$1.47 A$2.11

-6.80%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$29.0K A$41.5K

-33.88%

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

$16.9K ¥112.7K

$26.5K A$37.9K

-36.34%

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

$55.8 ¥373

$234 A$335

-76.14%

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

$7.76 ¥51.9

$27.93 A$40.01

-72.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.32 ¥48.98

$55.7 A$79.9

-86.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.15 ¥242

$49.40 A$70.8

-26.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$21.48 A$30.77

-25.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.61

$15.09 A$21.62

-59.77%

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

$418 ¥2,794

$2,371 A$3,397

-82.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ¥149.4K

$30.2K A$43.3K

-26.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.99 ¥288

$80.0 A$115

-46.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.04 ¥228

$50.7 A$72.6

-32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$121 A$173

-45.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ¥592

$130 A$187

-32.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,869

$1,759 A$2,520

-84.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ¥1,295

$1,390 A$1,991

-86.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 ¥4,809

$3,494 A$5,005

-79.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 ¥2,168

$2,493 A$3,572

-87.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,266 ¥21.8K

$6,926 A$9,922

-52.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,685 ¥11.3K

$6,445 A$9,233

-73.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,279

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

5.9

-42.03%

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

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 88.2% $180

Accommodation & Living

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 618% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 65.1% $68

Eating Out

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 225% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 348% $247

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 64.8% $31

Getting Around

Zhangjiagang

$22 3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 629% $141

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Zhangjiagang and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Zhangjiagang vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $384 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

3 h ahead of Zhangjiagang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,432,044

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zhangjiagang Melbourne 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangjiagang
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

Zhangjiagang vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiagang and Melbourne differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($740 vs $2,821 including rent). Zhangjiagang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,110 in Zhangjiagang 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: $280 in Zhangjiagang versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $418 in Zhangjiagang 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 88% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang 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, Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.