Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bardwell Park, NSW and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bardwell Park, NSW: $2,500 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Bardwell Park, NSW
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Bardwell Park, NSW Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Bardwell Park, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,500

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in Bardwell Park, NSW versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Bardwell Park, NSW $2,500
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,594 in Bardwell Park, NSW versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Bardwell Park, NSW $3,594
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,688 in Bardwell Park, NSW versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Bardwell Park, NSW $4,688
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Bardwell Park, NSW costs roughly 12% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bardwell Park, NSW 84% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 A$24.47

$17.50 A$24.86

-1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 A$117

$84.3 A$120

-1.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.64 A$15.12

$12.17 A$17.29

-12.57%

Cappuccino

$3.91 A$5.56

$4.07 A$5.79

-3.93%

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

$2.94 A$4.18

$3.18 A$4.52

-7.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.50 A$3.55

-7.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.49 A$10.64

$9.57 A$13.60

-21.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 A$10.97

$8.25 A$11.72

-6.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.24

$1.50 A$2.14

5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 A$3.80

$2.97 A$4.22

-10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.26

$2.68 A$3.81

-14.18%

Eggs

$5.08 A$7.22

$5.45 A$7.75

-6.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.40

$10.71 A$15.22

-11.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.05

$10.05 A$14.28

-8.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 A$20.83

$15.00 A$21.31

-2.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 A$5.29

$4.07 A$5.78

-8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.25

$3.14 A$4.46

-4.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.65

$3.12 A$4.43

4.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 A$6.57

$4.73 A$6.72

-2.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.94

$2.98 A$4.23

-7.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.49 A$3.55

-4.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.29

$2.48 A$3.53

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.60 A$2.27

-3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.41 A$58.8

$44.65 A$63.4

-7.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.28 A$20.29

$12.68 A$18.02

12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 A$6.52

$5.55 A$7.88

-17.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.62

$5.18 A$7.37

3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.86

$3.84 A$5.45

-29.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.5 A$126

$139 A$197

-36.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.02

$4.36 A$6.19

-19.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.37 A$1.94

16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$29.72 A$42.23

37.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.88

$1.49 A$2.11

-10.74%

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

$29.0K A$41.3K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-0.19%

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

$26.3K A$37.3K

$25.7K A$36.5K

2.34%

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

$188 A$266

$236 A$335

-20.44%

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

$27.38 A$38.90

$28.01 A$39.80

-2.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.9 A$82.2

$57.2 A$81.3

1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 A$78.9

$48.39 A$68.8

14.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.68 A$25.12

$21.46 A$30.50

-17.61%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 A$19.64

$17.67 A$25.10

-21.79%

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

$2,172 A$3,086

$2,461 A$3,497

-11.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K A$29.5K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-30.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$81.2 A$115

-6.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.0

$49.28 A$70.0

9.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 A$156

$120 A$170

-8.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$177

$131 A$186

-5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,989

$1,703 A$2,419

-17.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 A$1,723

$1,409 A$2,002

-13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,256 A$3,206

$3,496 A$4,967

-35.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 A$2,542

$2,527 A$3,590

-29.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,938 A$8,437

$7,978 A$11.3K

-25.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,025 A$7,140

$6,900 A$9,805

-27.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,686 A$8,079

$4,257 A$6,049

33.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Bardwell Park, NSW: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bardwell Park, NSW

$1.2K 48.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 16.2% $196

Groceries & Markets

Bardwell Park, NSW

$366 14.6%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 5.6% $20

Eating Out

Bardwell Park, NSW

$291 11.6%

Melbourne

$312 11% 7.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bardwell Park, NSW

$273 10.9%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 17.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Bardwell Park, NSW

$164 6.6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 4.6% $7.5

Getting Around

Bardwell Park, NSW

$111 4.4%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 49.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Bardwell Park, NSW

$83 3.3%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Bardwell Park, NSW and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bardwell Park, NSW pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83 in Bardwell Park, NSW vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $386 per month, with Bardwell Park, NSW cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bardwell Park, NSW

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

Same time as Bardwell Park, NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,209

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bardwell Park, NSW Melbourne 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Bardwell Park, NSW
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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

Bardwell Park, NSW vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bardwell Park, NSW wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bardwell Park, NSW the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Bardwell Park, NSW, 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: $1,400 in Bardwell Park, NSW versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,172 in Bardwell Park, NSW 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 Bardwell Park, NSW runs roughly 36% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bardwell Park, NSW is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Bardwell Park, NSW and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.