Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Adelaide: $2,640 a month against $2,853 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,640 in Adelaide versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Adelaide $2,640
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Adelaide versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Adelaide $3,759
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Adelaide versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Adelaide $4,878
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Adelaide costs roughly 7% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 95% above, Melbourne 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.61

$17.20 A$24.75

-0.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$116

$83.1 A$120

-3.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 A$16.75

$12.43 A$17.88

-6.36%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.83

$4.05 A$5.82

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

$2.78 A$4.00

$3.12 A$4.50

-10.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.68

$2.46 A$3.54

3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.20

$9.52 A$13.71

-18.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 A$11.89

$8.16 A$11.74

1.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.56 A$2.25

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.90 A$4.18

-4.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.23

$2.66 A$3.82

-15.79%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.19

$5.37 A$7.72

5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$10.67 A$15.36

10.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$9.85 A$14.17

-6.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 A$27.29

$15.36 A$22.11

23.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.67

$4.17 A$6.00

-5.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.15 A$4.53

-3.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 A$5.22

$3.26 A$4.69

11.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 A$7.28

$4.76 A$6.85

6.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$3.06 A$4.41

4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$2.47 A$3.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.58

$2.45 A$3.52

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.63 A$2.34

41.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.26 A$65.1

$45.17 A$65.0

0.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$20.05

$12.68 A$18.25

9.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.52 A$7.94

$5.69 A$8.18

-2.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 A$8.51

$5.23 A$7.53

13.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.61

$3.87 A$5.57

-17.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$120

$142 A$204

-41.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$4.54 A$6.53

-22.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.42 A$2.04

39.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.11 A$44.77

$30.59 A$44.01

1.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.47 A$2.11

-4.08%

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

$29.3K A$42.2K

$28.9K A$41.5K

1.61%

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

$25.7K A$36.9K

$25.9K A$37.3K

-0.93%

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

$192 A$276

$235 A$338

-18.37%

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

$25.71 A$36.99

$27.45 A$39.51

-6.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$81.6

$56.1 A$80.8

0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 A$90.6

$50.1 A$72.1

25.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 A$20.24

$21.49 A$30.93

-34.57%

Cinema Ticket

$17.14 A$24.67

$17.76 A$25.56

-3.49%

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

$2,072 A$2,982

$2,385 A$3,432

-13.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.5K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-51.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$79.2 A$114

-11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.9

$49.49 A$71.2

10.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$118 A$170

-3.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$195

$132 A$190

2.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,466

$1,763 A$2,537

-2.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,839

$1,411 A$2,031

-9.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 A$3,498

$3,522 A$5,069

-30.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,637

$2,525 A$3,634

-27.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K A$14.5K

$7,136 A$10.3K

41.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,880 A$9,901

$6,355 A$9,144

8.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,830 A$5,511

$4,258 A$6,128

-10.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 10.4% $133

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$415 15.7%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 6.3% $26

Eating Out

Adelaide

$297 11.3%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 4.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$274 10.4%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 16.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$169 6.4%

Melbourne

$171 6% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Adelaide

$110 4.2%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 53.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$97 3.7%

Melbourne

$86 3% 11.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Adelaide and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 11% 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: $81.0 in Adelaide vs $83.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $415 vs $388, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

30 min ahead of Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Adelaide Melbourne 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
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

Adelaide vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Melbourne differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,640 vs $2,853 including rent). Adelaide is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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: $1,713 in Adelaide versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,072 in Adelaide versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Adelaide is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Adelaide 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 Adelaide gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.