Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhengzhou and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhengzhou: $683 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Zhengzhou
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Zhengzhou Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $683 in Zhengzhou versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Zhengzhou $683
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,088 in Zhengzhou versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Zhengzhou $1,088
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,492 in Zhengzhou versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Zhengzhou $1,492
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Zhengzhou costs roughly 76% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zhengzhou is 49% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ¥14.54

$17.43 A$25.08

-87.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.72 ¥112

$84.6 A$122

-80.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 ¥30.54

$12.46 A$17.92

-63.32%

Cappuccino

$2.41 ¥16.13

$4.11 A$5.91

-41.36%

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

$0.57 ¥3.80

$3.06 A$4.40

-81.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$2.52 A$3.62

-88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$9.80 A$14.10

-91.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$8.57 A$12.33

-80.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.60

$1.48 A$2.14

17.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥11.42

$2.94 A$4.23

-41.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$2.66 A$3.82

-66.54%

Eggs

$0.98 ¥6.58

$5.54 A$7.97

-82.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 ¥55.2

$10.51 A$15.13

-21.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.15

$9.65 A$13.89

-67.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$15.22 A$21.91

-30.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$3.99 A$5.75

-62.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.93

$3.02 A$4.34

-65.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.15

$3.10 A$4.46

-65.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$4.82 A$6.93

-75.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$3.03 A$4.36

-77.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.91

$2.44 A$3.52

-70.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.50

$2.46 A$3.54

-72.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$1.63 A$2.34

-56.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ¥22.15

$44.07 A$63.4

-92.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 ¥98.6

$12.70 A$18.28

16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.32

$5.54 A$7.97

-83.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.02

$5.23 A$7.52

-59.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ¥0.90

$3.74 A$5.38

-96.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.6

$138 A$198

-89.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$4.51 A$6.50

-67.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$1.36 A$1.96

-77.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.67

$30.45 A$43.81

-88.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$1.47 A$2.12

-13.61%

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

$19.2K ¥128.6K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-33.68%

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

$17.4K ¥116.6K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-34.14%

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

$70.2 ¥469

$234 A$336

-69.97%

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

$7.19 ¥48.08

$27.93 A$40.19

-74.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$55.7 A$80.2

-81.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 ¥273

$49.40 A$71.1

-17.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.58 ¥90.8

$21.48 A$30.91

-36.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 ¥40.17

$15.09 A$21.72

-60.17%

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

$391 ¥2,614

$2,371 A$3,412

-83.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ¥202.0K

$30.2K A$43.5K

0.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.52 ¥291

$80.0 A$115

-45.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 ¥224

$50.7 A$73.0

-34.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥492

$121 A$174

-39.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ¥469

$130 A$188

-46.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,436

$1,759 A$2,531

-87.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,085

$1,390 A$2,000

-88.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$574 ¥3,839

$3,494 A$5,027

-83.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,473

$2,493 A$3,588

-85.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,825 ¥18.9K

$6,926 A$9,967

-59.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$6,445 A$9,274

-76.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$918 ¥6,137

$4,383 A$6,307

-79.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

5.9

-44.24%

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

Last update for Zhengzhou: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhengzhou

$191 28%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 101% $193

Accommodation & Living

Zhengzhou

$162 23.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 757% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Zhengzhou

$99 14.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 73% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhengzhou

$88 12.9%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 261% $229

Eating Out

Zhengzhou

$71 10.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 342% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Zhengzhou

$53 7.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 50.7% $27

Getting Around

Zhengzhou

$18 2.7%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 787% $145

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Zhengzhou and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 378% 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: $17.00 in Zhengzhou vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $384 per month, with Zhengzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhengzhou

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

3 h ahead of Zhengzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,600,574

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zhengzhou Melbourne 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhengzhou
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

Zhengzhou vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhengzhou and Melbourne differ by about 313% in total monthly costs ($683 vs $2,821 including rent). Zhengzhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 378% 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: $215 in Zhengzhou versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $391 in Zhengzhou 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 101% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $683 in Zhengzhou versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhengzhou but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Zhengzhou 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, Zhengzhou 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 Zhengzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 313% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.