Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrie and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Barrie: $2,485 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
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Barrie Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,485

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,485 in Barrie versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Barrie $2,485
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,448 in Barrie versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Barrie $3,448
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,411 in Barrie versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Barrie $4,411
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Barrie 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: Barrie 84% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.86 CA$19.60

$17.43 A$25.08

-20.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 CA$80.0

$84.6 A$122

-33.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 CA$15.66

$12.46 A$17.92

-11.08%

Cappuccino

$3.61 CA$5.10

$4.11 A$5.91

-12.17%

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

$1.96 CA$2.77

$3.06 A$4.40

-35.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$2.52 A$3.62

-44.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 CA$6.91

$9.80 A$14.10

-50.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$8.57 A$12.33

-34.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.82

$1.48 A$2.14

34.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$2.94 A$4.23

-15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$2.66 A$3.82

-1.50%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.35

$5.54 A$7.97

-44.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 CA$13.70

$10.51 A$15.13

-7.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$9.65 A$13.89

47.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.05 CA$31.17

$15.22 A$21.91

44.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.68

$3.99 A$5.75

0.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$3.02 A$4.34

-62.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$3.10 A$4.46

-4.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$4.82 A$6.93

-19.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$3.03 A$4.36

-62.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$2.44 A$3.52

-45.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$2.46 A$3.54

-12.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.63 A$2.34

-0.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.32 CA$16.00

$44.07 A$63.4

-74.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.16 CA$14.36

$12.70 A$18.28

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 CA$3.59

$5.54 A$7.97

-54.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$2.99

$5.23 A$7.52

-59.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$3.74 A$5.38

-36.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 CA$91.5

$138 A$198

-52.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 CA$4.88

$4.51 A$6.50

-23.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 CA$1.44

$1.36 A$1.96

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 A$43.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$1.47 A$2.12

-22.45%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-5.64%

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

$20.7K CA$29.3K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-21.72%

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

$236 CA$334

$234 A$336

0.99%

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

$35.20 CA$49.77

$27.93 A$40.19

26.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 CA$108

$55.7 A$80.2

37.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 CA$55.8

$49.40 A$71.1

-20.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.29 CA$49.89

$21.48 A$30.91

64.29%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 CA$18.16

$15.09 A$21.72

-14.84%

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

$1,380 CA$1,951

$2,371 A$3,412

-41.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 CA$87.6

$80.0 A$115

-22.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.45 CA$62.8

$50.7 A$73.0

-12.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 CA$213

$121 A$174

24.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 CA$118

$130 A$188

-35.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 CA$2,025

$1,759 A$2,531

-18.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 CA$1,747

$1,390 A$2,000

-11.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,109 CA$2,982

$3,494 A$5,027

-39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 CA$2,475

$2,493 A$3,588

-29.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,005 CA$7,076

$6,926 A$9,967

-27.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,116 CA$5,819

$6,445 A$9,274

-36.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,986 CA$4,221

$4,383 A$6,307

-31.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.9

-20.68%

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

Last update for Barrie: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrie

$1.2K 49.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 12.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Barrie

$364 14.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 5.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrie

$348 14%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 8.8% $31

Eating Out

Barrie

$237 9.5%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 33% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Barrie

$153 6.2%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 12% $18

Getting Around

Barrie

$83 3.3%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 97.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Barrie

$65 2.6%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 22.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,433 in Barrie and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 47% 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: $57.0 in Barrie vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $384 per month, with Barrie cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Barrie

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

09:35 9:35 AM

15 h ahead of Barrie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,434

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barrie Melbourne 16,250 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Barrie
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

Barrie vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barrie and Melbourne differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,485 vs $2,821 including rent). Barrie is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Melbourne. 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: $1,433 in Barrie versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 113% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,380 in Barrie versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,485 in Barrie versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Barrie but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Barrie 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, Barrie and Melbourne 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 Barrie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.