Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 38.4% cheaper than Melbourne.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Melbourne, you would:
pay 71.6% less for restaurants
Melbourne
|
Beijing
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.61
A$25.25
|
$4.15
CN¥29.83
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.97
A$15.15
|
$5.54
CN¥39.77
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
A$3.92
|
$0.50
CN¥3.62
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.32
A$3.53
|
$0.31
CN¥2.23
|
|
pay 32.7% less for groceries
Melbourne
|
Beijing
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.65
A$4.03
|
$1.43
CN¥10.27
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.93
A$7.50
|
$6.83
CN¥49.02
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.53
A$8.41
|
$7.46
CN¥53.59
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.86
A$5.86
|
$1.75
CN¥12.55
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
A$6.04
|
$1.44
CN¥10.36
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.38
A$2.09
|
$0.96
CN¥6.88
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.15
A$1.76
|
$0.79
CN¥5.70
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.20
A$1.83
|
$0.87
CN¥6.26
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.64
A$2.49
|
$0.58
CN¥4.14
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.03
A$1.57
|
$0.37
CN¥2.64
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.99
A$1.50
|
$0.49
CN¥3.50
|
|
pay 45.4% less for transportation
Melbourne
|
Beijing
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
A$7.34
|
$4.35
CN¥31.26
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$126.80
A$192.71
|
$34.62
CN¥248.57
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,915.83
A$40,905.51
|
$20,773.90
CN¥149,139.96
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.61
A$29.80
|
$4.68
CN¥33.61
|
|
pay 57.3% less for housing
Melbourne
|
Beijing
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.17
A$80.80
|
$13.59
CN¥97.56
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,491.94
A$2,267.39
|
$969.73
CN¥6,961.86
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,204.80
A$1,831.00
|
$561.86
CN¥4,033.69
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$125.04
A$190.02
|
$42.17
CN¥302.75
|
|
pay 7.3% less for childcare
Melbourne
|
Beijing
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,542.90
A$2,344.84
|
$836.50
CN¥6,005.38
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,264.75
A$29,277.74
|
$25,256.69
CN¥181,322.79
|
|
pay 36.3% less for entertainment and sports
Melbourne
|
Beijing
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.65
A$10.10
|
$1.38
CN¥9.94
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.40
A$5.17
|
$3.73
CN¥26.79
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$29.91
A$45.45
|
$3.46
CN¥24.86
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.92
A$78.90
|
$62.16
CN¥446.26
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.62
A$22.22
|
$8.31
CN¥59.66
|
|
pay 18.0% less for clothing
Melbourne
|
Beijing
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$79.63
A$121.02
|
$65.57
CN¥470.74
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$52.42
A$79.67
|
$35.21
CN¥252.79
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.56
A$160.42
|
$85.31
CN¥612.42
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.21
A$175.10
|
$112.58
CN¥808.25
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Beijing or Melbourne. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.