Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangjiakou and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
Learn more

Zhangjiakou Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Zhangjiakou $776
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,216 in Zhangjiakou versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Zhangjiakou $1,216
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,656 in Zhangjiakou versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Zhangjiakou $1,656
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Zhangjiakou costs roughly 72% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zhangjiakou is 42% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ¥14.72

$17.43 A$25.18

-87.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.17 ¥161

$84.6 A$122

-71.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 ¥40.41

$12.46 A$18.00

-51.44%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.50

$4.11 A$5.94

-14.36%

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

$0.51 ¥3.42

$3.06 A$4.42

-83.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$2.52 A$3.64

-89.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$9.80 A$14.16

-90.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$8.57 A$12.38

-79.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥9.61

$1.48 A$2.15

-2.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 ¥15.42

$2.94 A$4.25

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.10

$2.66 A$3.84

-60.15%

Eggs

$1.02 ¥6.81

$5.54 A$8.01

-81.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 ¥99.0

$10.51 A$15.19

40.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$9.65 A$13.94

-69.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.37 ¥62.6

$15.22 A$22.00

-38.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$3.99 A$5.77

-59.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.02 A$4.36

-69.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$3.10 A$4.48

-42.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$4.82 A$6.96

-74.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.34

$3.03 A$4.38

-73.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ¥3.86

$2.44 A$3.53

-76.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.46 A$3.56

-74.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.79

$1.63 A$2.35

-55.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.63

$44.07 A$63.7

-91.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ¥90.0

$12.70 A$18.36

6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.18

$5.54 A$8.00

-80.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 ¥16.34

$5.23 A$7.55

-53.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$3.74 A$5.40

-91.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.91 ¥120

$138 A$199

-86.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ¥7.18

$4.51 A$6.52

-76.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.16

$1.36 A$1.96

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.15 ¥41.07

$30.45 A$44.00

-79.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$1.47 A$2.13

-17.69%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$29.0K A$41.9K

-32.27%

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

$17.5K ¥116.8K

$26.5K A$38.3K

-33.99%

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

$93.0 ¥622

$234 A$338

-60.18%

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

$6.24 ¥41.69

$27.93 A$40.35

-77.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.62 ¥50.9

$55.7 A$80.6

-86.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 ¥276

$49.40 A$71.4

-16.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.92 ¥99.7

$21.48 A$31.04

-30.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ¥50.3

$15.09 A$21.81

-50.10%

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

$342 ¥2,288

$2,371 A$3,426

-85.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,359 ¥35.8K

$30.2K A$43.6K

-82.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.47 ¥297

$80.0 A$116

-44.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.44 ¥190

$50.7 A$73.3

-43.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 ¥659

$121 A$174

-18.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.5 ¥404

$130 A$188

-53.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥2,029

$1,759 A$2,542

-82.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ¥1,242

$1,390 A$2,008

-86.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 ¥4,175

$3,494 A$5,048

-82.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,470

$2,493 A$3,603

-85.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,819 ¥25.5K

$6,926 A$10.0K

-44.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,933 ¥12.9K

$6,445 A$9,313

-70.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$396 ¥2,643

$4,383 A$6,333

-90.98%

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 Zhangjiakou: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhangjiakou

$212 27.3%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 81.3% $172

Accommodation & Living

Zhangjiakou

$186 23.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 648% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangjiakou

$107 13.8%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 197% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangjiakou

$104 13.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 64.5% $67

Eating Out

Zhangjiakou

$89 11.5%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 252% $225

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangjiakou

$56 7.3%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 41.1% $23

Getting Around

Zhangjiakou

$22 2.8%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 649% $142

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Zhangjiakou and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1008% 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 Zhangjiakou vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $384 per month, with Zhangjiakou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

3 h ahead of Zhangjiakou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,345,491

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.692 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.692 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zhangjiakou Melbourne 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangjiakou
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

Zhangjiakou vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiakou and Melbourne differ by about 263% in total monthly costs ($776 vs $2,821 including rent). Zhangjiakou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1008% 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: $304 in Zhangjiakou versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $342 in Zhangjiakou 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 81% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou 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, Zhangjiakou 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 Zhangjiakou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 263% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.