Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bendigo and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bendigo: $2,008 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Bendigo
Learn more

Bendigo Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Bendigo

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,008

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,008 per month in Bendigo vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bendigo $2,008
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $2,978 per month in Bendigo vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bendigo $2,978
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Bendigo vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Bendigo $3,948
Melbourne $5,699

Bendigo is about 30% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bendigo and Melbourne sit above the global median – Bendigo by 48%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$24.60

$17.50 A$24.79

-0.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$109

$84.3 A$119

-8.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 A$17.57

$12.17 A$17.24

1.89%

Cappuccino

$4.08 A$5.78

$4.07 A$5.77

0.25%

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

$3.10 A$4.39

$3.18 A$4.50

-2.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 A$3.66

$2.50 A$3.54

3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.97 A$14.12

$9.57 A$13.56

4.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.66 A$12.27

$8.25 A$11.69

4.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.92

$1.50 A$2.13

-9.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 A$4.13

$2.97 A$4.21

-1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.64

$2.68 A$3.80

-4.10%

Eggs

$4.73 A$6.71

$5.45 A$7.73

-13.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 A$15.15

$10.71 A$15.18

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 A$14.23

$10.05 A$14.24

-0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 A$14.95

$15.00 A$21.25

-29.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.04

$4.07 A$5.76

-12.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.31

$3.14 A$4.44

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.59

$3.12 A$4.42

3.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 A$6.79

$4.73 A$6.70

1.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.08

$2.98 A$4.22

-3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.50

$2.49 A$3.53

-0.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.49

$2.48 A$3.52

-0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.31

$1.60 A$2.27

1.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$63.1

$44.65 A$63.3

-0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 A$14.70

$12.68 A$17.96

-18.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.46 A$7.73

$5.55 A$7.86

-1.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.59

$5.18 A$7.35

3.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 A$4.88

$3.84 A$5.44

-10.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 A$80.6

$139 A$196

-58.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 A$5.84

$4.36 A$6.17

-5.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 A$2.00

$1.37 A$1.94

2.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.84 A$19.61

$29.72 A$42.11

-53.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.80

$1.49 A$2.10

-14.77%

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

$27.6K A$39.1K

$29.1K A$41.2K

-5.16%

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

$19.7K A$27.9K

$25.7K A$36.4K

-23.40%

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

$142 A$202

$236 A$334

-39.55%

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

$27.59 A$39.08

$28.01 A$39.68

-1.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$80.1

$57.2 A$81.1

-1.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.39 A$68.6

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 A$27.88

$21.46 A$30.41

-8.29%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 A$17.99

$17.67 A$25.03

-28.13%

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

$2,154 A$3,051

$2,461 A$3,486

-12.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K A$42.3K

$29.7K A$42.1K

0.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 A$116

$81.2 A$115

0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.98 A$70.8

$49.28 A$69.8

1.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$167

$120 A$169

-1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 A$192

$131 A$186

3.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 A$1,608

$1,703 A$2,412

-33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 A$1,169

$1,409 A$1,996

-41.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 A$1,894

$3,496 A$4,952

-61.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 A$1,767

$2,527 A$3,579

-50.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,400 A$6,232

$7,978 A$11.3K

-44.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,892 A$5,514

$6,900 A$9,775

-43.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,967 A$4,202

$4,257 A$6,030

-30.31%

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 Bendigo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bendigo

$825 41.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 70.7% $584

Groceries & Markets

Bendigo

$361 18%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 7.2% $26

Eating Out

Bendigo

$315 15.7%

Melbourne

$312 11% 0.8% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bendigo

$227 11.3%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 41.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Bendigo

$173 8.6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 1.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Bendigo

$82 4.1%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 102% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Bendigo

$25 * 1.3%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 230% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,135 in Bendigo versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Melbourne. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Bendigo versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $386 – making Bendigo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bendigo

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

Same time as Bendigo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,649

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bendigo Melbourne 130 km

From you

Bendigo
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

Bendigo vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,012 per month in Bendigo and $4,273 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bendigo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,135 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Bendigo and $84 in Melbourne. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,008 in Bendigo and $2,849 in Melbourne. That makes Bendigo about 30% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bendigo, where all-in costs run around $2,008, than in Melbourne at $2,849. In Bendigo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bendigo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bendigo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.