Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Balga: $2,762 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,762 in Balga versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Balga $2,762
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,828 in Balga versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Balga $3,828
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,893 in Balga versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Balga $4,893
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Balga costs roughly 3% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Balga 103% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.97 A$29.71

$17.50 A$24.79

19.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 A$118

$84.3 A$119

-1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 A$15.77

$12.17 A$17.24

-8.55%

Cappuccino

$4.62 A$6.54

$4.07 A$5.77

13.51%

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

$2.80 A$3.96

$3.18 A$4.50

-11.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.26

$2.50 A$3.54

-8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 A$11.89

$9.57 A$13.56

-12.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.46

$1.50 A$2.13

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.45

$2.97 A$4.21

5.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.79

$2.68 A$3.80

-26.49%

Eggs

$5.09 A$7.22

$5.45 A$7.73

-6.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.13

$10.71 A$15.18

-13.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.40

$10.05 A$14.24

-5.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 A$19.46

$15.00 A$21.25

-8.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.46

$4.07 A$5.76

12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.55

$3.14 A$4.44

2.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.05

$3.12 A$4.42

14.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 A$6.87

$4.73 A$6.70

2.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.03

$2.98 A$4.22

-4.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 A$2.73

$2.49 A$3.53

-22.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.48 A$3.52

-8.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.60 A$2.27

-16.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.17 A$59.7

$44.65 A$63.3

-5.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 A$17.65

$12.68 A$17.96

-1.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.16

$5.55 A$7.86

-21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$4.98

$5.18 A$7.35

-32.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.78

$3.84 A$5.44

-30.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$139 A$196

-43.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 A$5.12

$4.36 A$6.17

-17.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.37 A$1.94

1.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.13 A$58.3

$29.72 A$42.11

38.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.49 A$2.10

-9.40%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$29.1K A$41.2K

2.84%

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

$27.8K A$39.5K

$25.7K A$36.4K

8.50%

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

$207 A$293

$236 A$334

-12.36%

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

$33.27 A$47.13

$28.01 A$39.68

18.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.5 A$90.0

$57.2 A$81.1

10.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 A$88.7

$48.39 A$68.6

29.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 A$27.29

$21.46 A$30.41

-10.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.26 A$24.45

$17.67 A$25.03

-2.32%

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

$2,271 A$3,217

$2,461 A$3,486

-7.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K A$33.6K

$29.7K A$42.1K

-20.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$81.2 A$115

-3.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 A$89.9

$49.28 A$69.8

28.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$120 A$169

3.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 A$233

$131 A$186

25.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,078

$1,703 A$2,412

-13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 A$1,938

$1,409 A$1,996

-2.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 A$2,833

$3,496 A$4,952

-42.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 A$2,523

$2,527 A$3,579

-29.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,422 A$9,097

$7,978 A$11.3K

-19.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 A$6,217

$6,900 A$9,775

-36.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 A$4,757

$4,257 A$6,030

-21.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.9

1.02%

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

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balga

$1.4K 49.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Balga

$365 13.2%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 5.8% $21

Eating Out

Balga

$335 12.1%

Melbourne

$312 11% 6.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balga

$303 11%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 5.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Balga

$193 7%

Melbourne

$171 6% 11.3% $22

Getting Around

Balga

$100 3.6%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 65.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Balga

$97 3.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 13.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,467 in Balga and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 27% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Balga vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $386 per month, with Balga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Balga

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

3 h ahead of Balga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,685

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Balga Melbourne 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Balga
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

Balga vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,762 in Balga and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Balga is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Balga. 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: $1,467 in Balga versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,271 in Balga versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Balga runs roughly 43% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Balga and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Balga wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.