Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and San Gwann

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,902 a month against $2,049 in San Gwann, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Gwann outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in San Gwann
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San Gwann Living Index

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Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

San Gwann

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballarat and in San Gwann

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ballarat and in San Gwann actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $2,049 in San Gwann.

Ballarat $1,902
San Gwann $2,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $3,115 in San Gwann.

Ballarat $3,035
San Gwann $3,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $4,180 in San Gwann.

Ballarat $4,168
San Gwann $4,180

Living in Ballarat costs roughly 7% less than in San Gwann, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, San Gwann 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$21.52 €19.14

-17.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$67.9 €60.4

2.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$13.47 €11.98

-23.76%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$2.89 €2.57

31.14%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$2.14 €1.90

37.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.07 €0.95

76.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$4.51 €4.01

34.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$4.37 €3.88

39.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.35 €1.20

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$1.41 €1.25

87.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$3.47 €3.08

-33.14%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$4.30 €3.83

-4.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$10.35 €9.20

2.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$11.78 €10.48

-15.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$17.77 €15.80

-15.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$3.84 €3.41

-8.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$2.76 €2.46

9.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$3.86 €3.43

-19.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$3.81 €3.39

22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$1.87 €1.67

64.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$2.29 €2.03

11.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$2.18 €1.94

7.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.55 €1.37

-4.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$6.12 €5.44

461.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$5.51 €4.90

129.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$2.42 €2.15

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.33 €2.07

33.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$2.26 €2.01

22.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$14.55 €12.94

380.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$3.87 €3.44

-34.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$1.82 €1.62

-26.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$32.51 €28.91

-18.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.52 €1.35

-22.37%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$27.9K €24.8K

2.10%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$34.1K €30.3K

-23.67%

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

$206 A$296

$113 €100

82.28%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$31.71 €28.20

-12.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$34.81 €30.96

64.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$56.6 €50.3

-44.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$18.93 €16.84

-40.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$10.09 €8.98

52.43%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$272 €242

687.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$11.2K €9,932

170.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$54.9 €48.85

25.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$60.5 €53.8

-17.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$82.4 €73.3

20.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$128 €114

4.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$1,197 €1,065

-22.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$981 €873

-31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$2,281 €2,029

-43.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$1,663 €1,479

-12.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$5,627 €5,005

-17.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$2,776 €2,469

24.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$1,741 €1,548

80.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

4.05

37.04%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Gwann: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

San Gwann

$981 47.9% 46.3% $310

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

San Gwann

$337 16.5% 3.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

San Gwann

$179 8.8% 38.3% $111

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

San Gwann

$291 14.2% 4.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

San Gwann

$147 7.2% 7.4% $12

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

San Gwann

$37 1.8% 59.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

San Gwann

$77 3.8% 23.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $1,197 in San Gwann. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $68.0 in San Gwann for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $337 per month, with San Gwann cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇲🇹 San Gwann

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

13:37 1:37 PM

9 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

12,523

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ballarat San Gwann 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballarat
San Gwann

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

Ballarat vs San Gwann: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in San Gwann. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Ballarat, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $923 in Ballarat versus $1,197 in San Gwann. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $272 in San Gwann. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in San Gwann pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,902 in Ballarat versus $2,049 in San Gwann, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ballarat but tight or insufficient in San Gwann. The gap between the two cities makes Ballarat the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Ballarat and San Gwann 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 Ballarat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in San Gwann. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.