Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Melbourne

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Ballina is 2.6% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 5.7% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Ballina is 17.3% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 7.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.38 A$25.09
$19.2 A$29.41
-14.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.3 A$121
$78.6 A$120
0.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.75 A$14.94
$10.02 A$15.35
-2.69%
Cappuccino
$3.35 A$5.12
$3.67 A$5.62
-8.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 A$3.96
$2.54 A$3.89
1.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 A$3.33
$2.28 A$3.49
-4.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.34 A$9.71
$7.28 A$11.15
-12.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.1 A$10.88
$7.3 A$11.18
-2.74%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 A$3.64
$1.44 A$2.2
65.28%
White Bread (500g)
$3.07 A$4.71
$2.63 A$4.02
16.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 A$3
$2.27 A$3.48
-13.66%
Eggs
$5.42 A$8.3
$4.86 A$7.45
11.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.99 A$9.18
$8.74 A$13.39
-31.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.3 A$12.71
$9.19 A$14.07
-9.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.7 A$20.98
$14.95 A$22.9
-8.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.3 A$5.05
$3.33 A$5.1
-0.90%
Banana (1kg)
$2.8 A$4.29
$2.84 A$4.35
-1.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.41
$3 A$4.6
-4.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 A$5.07
$3.95 A$6.05
-16.20%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 A$3.66
$2.67 A$4.09
-10.49%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.32
$2.34 A$3.58
-7.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.15 A$4.83
$2.15 A$3.3
46.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 A$2.35
$1.64 A$2.5
-6.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.7 A$47.03
$32.11 A$49.19
-4.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.11 A$20.08
$13.13 A$20.11
-0.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.56 A$6.98
$4.54 A$6.96
0.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 A$8.07
$5.05 A$7.74
4.36%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 A$4.09
$3.67 A$5.62
-27.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 A$99.9
$118 A$180
-44.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.67 A$5.62
$3.65 A$5.6
0.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.38
$1.34 A$2.05
15.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.89 A$51.9
$27.26 A$41.77
24.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 A$1.73
$1.19 A$1.82
-5.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$43.7K
$28.6K A$43.9K
-0.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$34.4K
$23.5K A$36K
-4.43%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$276
$150 A$230
19.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.57 A$42.24
$20.8 A$31.86
32.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.7 A$80.7
$51 A$78.2
3.19%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.42 A$75.7
$48.23 A$73.9
2.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.58 A$23.86
$15.91 A$24.38
-2.07%
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 A$20.06
$16.53 A$25.32
-20.81%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,606 A$2,460
$1,730 A$2,651
-7.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K A$18.6K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-36.65%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.8 A$102
$67.8 A$104
-1.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.56 A$75.9
$53.7 A$82.2
-7.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 A$154
$108 A$165
-6.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 A$163
$106 A$162
0.35%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,255 A$1,923
$1,548 A$2,371
-18.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,046 A$1,602
$1,228 A$1,881
-14.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,986 A$3,042
$2,973 A$4,555
-33.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 A$2,565
$1,956 A$2,997
-14.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,199 A$7,965
$7,110 A$10.9K
-26.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,011 A$7,678
$5,790 A$8,871
-13.45%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Ballina
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$4,045 A$6,198
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.19
2.42%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ballina: October 27, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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