Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Ashburton vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Ashburton $1,806
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,897 per month in Ashburton vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Ashburton $2,897
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,987 per month in Ashburton vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Ashburton $3,987
Melbourne $5,650

Ashburton is about 36% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ashburton and Melbourne sit above the global median – Ashburton by 34%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$17.43 A$25.08

-20.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 NZ$120

$84.6 A$122

-19.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 NZ$15.65

$12.46 A$17.92

-28.97%

Cappuccino

$3.26 NZ$5.77

$4.11 A$5.91

-20.68%

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

$2.32 NZ$4.10

$3.06 A$4.40

-24.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$2.52 A$3.62

-28.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 NZ$12.19

$9.80 A$14.10

-29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 NZ$11.97

$8.57 A$12.33

-21.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.95

$1.48 A$2.14

12.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 NZ$3.32

$2.94 A$4.23

-36.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.64

$2.66 A$3.82

-43.61%

Eggs

$5.80 NZ$10.26

$5.54 A$7.97

4.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.23

$10.51 A$15.13

-28.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.53

$9.65 A$13.89

-3.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 NZ$23.96

$15.22 A$21.91

-10.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 NZ$4.35

$3.99 A$5.75

-38.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.51

$3.02 A$4.34

-34.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.82

$3.10 A$4.46

-11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.37

$4.82 A$6.93

-36.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.65

$3.03 A$4.36

-50.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$2.44 A$3.52

-40.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 NZ$3.83

$2.46 A$3.54

-11.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.33

$1.63 A$2.34

-19.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.15 NZ$42.70

$44.07 A$63.4

-45.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.45 NZ$14.94

$12.70 A$18.28

-33.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$5.54 A$7.97

-36.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 NZ$7.53

$5.23 A$7.52

-18.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$3.74 A$5.38

-56.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 NZ$132

$138 A$198

-45.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 NZ$4.38

$4.51 A$6.50

-45.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.93

$1.36 A$1.96

22.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.91 NZ$49.35

$30.45 A$43.81

-8.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$1.47 A$2.12

31.29%

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

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-14.78%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-9.67%

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

$156 NZ$276

$234 A$336

-33.33%

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

$22.75 NZ$40.23

$27.93 A$40.19

-18.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.32 NZ$78.4

$55.7 A$80.2

-20.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 NZ$71.0

$49.40 A$71.1

-18.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 NZ$19.66

$15.09 A$21.72

-26.31%

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

$659 NZ$1,165

$2,371 A$3,412

-72.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-27.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 NZ$102

$80.0 A$115

-27.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 NZ$70.4

$50.7 A$73.0

-21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 NZ$176

$121 A$174

-17.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 NZ$214

$130 A$188

-7.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,792

$1,759 A$2,531

-42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 NZ$1,317

$1,390 A$2,000

-46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 NZ$2,506

$3,494 A$5,027

-59.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 NZ$2,830

$2,493 A$3,588

-35.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,546 NZ$8,039

$6,926 A$9,967

-34.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 NZ$5,479

$6,445 A$9,274

-51.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.9

0.17%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$745 41.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 86.6% $645

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 16.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 28.1% $84

Eating Out

Ashburton

$242 13.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 30.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$223 12.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 42.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$143 7.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 19.9% $28

Getting Around

Ashburton

$92 5.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 78.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$62 3.5%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 27.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Ashburton versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $384 – making Ashburton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

2 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburton Melbourne 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
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

Ashburton vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,806 in Ashburton, $2,821 in Melbourne – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,710 per month in Ashburton and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Ashburton and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ashburton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ashburton. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.