Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Melbourne

🙂 Solo nomad: Balga is 18.6% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 7.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Balga is 16.2% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.31 A$24.98
$19.2 A$29.41
-15.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.8 A$118
$78.6 A$120
-2.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.49 A$16.08
$10.02 A$15.35
4.69%
Cappuccino
$3.58 A$5.48
$3.67 A$5.62
-2.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 A$3.82
$2.54 A$3.89
-1.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 A$2.95
$2.28 A$3.49
-15.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.98 A$12.22
$7.28 A$11.15
9.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.53 A$10.01
$7.3 A$11.18
-10.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 A$2.13
$1.44 A$2.2
-3.47%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 A$3.58
$2.63 A$4.02
-11.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 A$2.98
$2.27 A$3.48
-14.54%
Eggs
$4.61 A$7.06
$4.86 A$7.45
-5.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.49 A$13.01
$8.74 A$13.39
-2.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.56 A$13.11
$9.19 A$14.07
-6.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 A$21.43
$14.95 A$22.9
-6.42%
Apples (1kg)
$3.39 A$5.2
$3.33 A$5.1
1.80%
Banana (1kg)
$3.04 A$4.66
$2.84 A$4.35
7.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.92 A$4.47
$3 A$4.6
-2.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.56 A$6.99
$3.95 A$6.05
15.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.46 A$3.77
$2.67 A$4.09
-7.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 A$2.72
$2.34 A$3.58
-23.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.98 A$3.03
$2.15 A$3.3
-7.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 A$2.28
$1.64 A$2.5
-9.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.17 A$49.29
$32.11 A$49.19
0.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.06 A$15.41
$13.13 A$20.11
-23.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.81 A$5.84
$4.54 A$6.96
-16.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 A$6.47
$5.05 A$7.74
-16.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 A$3.95
$3.67 A$5.62
-29.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.6 A$99
$118 A$180
-45.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 A$6.23
$3.65 A$5.6
11.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.19 A$3.35
$1.34 A$2.05
63.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$50.3 A$77.1
$27.26 A$41.77
84.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 A$1.71
$1.19 A$1.82
-5.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$43.6K
$28.6K A$43.9K
-0.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K A$37.9K
$23.5K A$36K
5.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 A$241
$150 A$230
4.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.88 A$42.72
$20.8 A$31.86
34.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.8 A$85.5
$51 A$78.2
9.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.63 A$76
$48.23 A$73.9
2.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.6 A$23.9
$15.91 A$24.38
-1.95%
Cinema Ticket
$16.42 A$25.16
$16.53 A$25.32
-0.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,806 A$2,767
$1,730 A$2,651
4.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K A$18.2K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-37.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.1 A$106
$67.8 A$104
1.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.25 A$72.4
$53.7 A$82.2
-11.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 A$154
$108 A$165
-6.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 A$163
$106 A$162
0.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 A$1,899
$1,548 A$2,371
-19.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 A$1,663
$1,228 A$1,881
-11.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 A$3,037
$2,973 A$4,555
-33.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,687 A$2,585
$1,956 A$2,997
-13.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,994 A$7,650
$7,110 A$10.9K
-29.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,597 A$7,043
$5,790 A$8,871
-20.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Balga
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,102 A$4,752
$4,045 A$6,198
-23.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.42
6.19
3.72%

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

Last update for Balga: October 28, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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