Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Split

For one person, living costs are similar in Ballarat and in Split: $1,902 and $1,822 a month, rent and utilities included.

93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index

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Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballarat and in Split

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 Split actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Ballarat versus $1,822 in Split.

Ballarat $1,902
Split $1,822

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,035 in Ballarat versus $2,797 in Split.

Ballarat $3,035
Split $2,797

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,168 in Ballarat versus $3,771 in Split.

Ballarat $4,168
Split $3,771

Living in Ballarat is roughly 4% more expensive than in Split, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ballarat 41% above, Split 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 A$25.47

$16.50 €14.67

7.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 A$101

$73.4 €65.3

-4.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$11.32 €10.07

-9.28%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.45

$2.74 €2.44

38.32%

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

$2.95 A$4.24

$4.10 €3.65

-28.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 A$2.72

$2.87 €2.55

-34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 A$8.72

$4.63 €4.12

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 A$8.77

$5.15 €4.58

18.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.27 €1.13

23.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.82

$2.13 €1.89

24.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.35

$3.59 €3.19

-35.38%

Eggs

$4.09 A$5.88

$4.15 €3.70

-1.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 A$15.20

$13.87 €12.34

-23.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.33

$9.59 €8.53

3.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 A$21.55

$13.18 €11.72

13.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 A$5.04

$2.13 €1.90

64.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.34

$1.84 €1.64

64.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.48

$1.89 €1.68

64.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.73

$2.86 €2.54

63.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$1.59 €1.42

93.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$1.15 €1.02

121.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$1.30 €1.15

80.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.14

$1.25 €1.11

18.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.39 A$49.49

$5.72 €5.09

501.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$9.09 €8.08

39.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.74 €1.55

32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.48

$2.31 €2.05

34.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.97

$1.65 €1.47

67.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 A$101

$39.56 €35.18

76.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 A$3.65

$3.59 €3.20

-29.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$1.93

$2.10 €1.87

-36.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.64 A$38.33

$29.27 €26.03

-8.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.85 €1.64

-36.22%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

0.92%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$24.9K €22.1K

4.46%

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

$206 A$296

$207 €184

-0.48%

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

$27.76 A$39.95

$19.93 €17.72

39.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.6

$41.20 €36.64

39.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 A$45.13

$62.2 €55.3

-49.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.18 A$16.09

$12.92 €11.50

-13.47%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$22.14

$9.15 €8.14

68.09%

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

$2,144 A$3,085

$604 €537

255.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.4K

$11.9K €10.5K

154.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 A$98.8

$92.3 €82.1

-25.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 A$72.2

$40.17 €35.73

24.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 A$143

$112 €99.7

-11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$96.1 €85.5

39.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 A$1,329

$1,024 €911

-9.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 A$965

$704 €626

-4.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,854

$1,942 €1,727

-33.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,092

$1,275 €1,134

14.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

$7,185 €6,391

-35.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

$5,032 €4,476

-31.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,136 A$4,512

$1,576 €1,402

98.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

3.44

61.34%

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

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Last update for Split: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballarat

$671 35.3%

Split

$704 38.6% 5% $33

Groceries & Markets

Ballarat

$350 18.4%

Split

$296 16.3% 15.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballarat

$291 15.3%

Split

$268 14.7% 7.9% $23

Eating Out

Ballarat

$280 14.7%

Split

$260 14.3% 7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ballarat

$158 8.3%

Split

$153 8.4% 3.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Ballarat

$90 4.7%

Split

$60 3.3% 33.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ballarat

$62 3.3%

Split

$80 4.4% 29.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $923 in Ballarat and $1,024 in Split. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 99% 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: $70.0 in Ballarat vs $73.0 in Split. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $296, with Split cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🇭🇷 Split

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

13:37 1:37 PM

9 h behind Ballarat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,348

149,830

💱 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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Between locations

Ballarat Split 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballarat
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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 Split: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Split wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Ballarat. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Split the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 99% 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 $1,024 in Split. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,144 in Ballarat versus $604 in Split. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,822 in Split versus $1,902 in Ballarat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Split but tight or insufficient in Ballarat. The gap between the two cities makes Split the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Split delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,822 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Split hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballarat and Split 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 Split gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.