Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berwick and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Berwick: $2,554 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Berwick
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Berwick Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Berwick

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,554

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Berwick versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Berwick $2,554
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,747 in Berwick versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Berwick $3,747
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,941 in Berwick versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Berwick $4,941
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Berwick costs roughly 10% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Berwick 88% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 A$24.42

$17.50 A$24.86

-1.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$84.3 A$120

1.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 A$14.86

$12.17 A$17.29

-14.05%

Cappuccino

$4.28 A$6.09

$4.07 A$5.79

5.16%

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

$2.84 A$4.03

$3.18 A$4.52

-10.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$2.50 A$3.55

-7.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 A$11.20

$9.57 A$13.60

-17.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 A$10.67

$8.25 A$11.72

-8.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.50 A$2.14

-10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.88

$2.97 A$4.22

-8.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.68 A$3.81

-16.04%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.85

$5.45 A$7.75

-11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 A$14.21

$10.71 A$15.22

-6.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 A$13.41

$10.05 A$14.28

-6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 A$18.61

$15.00 A$21.31

-12.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 A$5.40

$4.07 A$5.78

-6.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.80

$3.14 A$4.46

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$3.12 A$4.43

-10.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.72

$4.73 A$6.72

-15.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.92

$2.98 A$4.23

-7.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 A$3.48

$2.49 A$3.55

-1.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.48 A$3.53

-7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.25

$1.60 A$2.27

-1.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.06 A$54.1

$44.65 A$63.4

-14.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 A$20.20

$12.68 A$18.02

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.36

$5.55 A$7.88

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 A$8.39

$5.18 A$7.37

13.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 A$3.91

$3.84 A$5.45

-28.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.0 A$114

$139 A$197

-42.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 A$4.46

$4.36 A$6.19

-27.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 A$2.41

$1.37 A$1.94

24.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.45 A$53.2

$29.72 A$42.23

26.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.49 A$2.11

-6.71%

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

$25.9K A$36.9K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-10.80%

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

$25.0K A$35.5K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-2.61%

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

$179 A$255

$236 A$335

-23.89%

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

$28.59 A$40.63

$28.01 A$39.80

2.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.84 A$69.4

$57.2 A$81.3

-14.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$48.39 A$68.8

26.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 A$28.05

$21.46 A$30.50

-8.01%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 A$18.15

$17.67 A$25.10

-27.67%

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

$2,169 A$3,082

$2,461 A$3,497

-11.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K A$27.7K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-34.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.7 A$115

$81.2 A$115

-0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 A$88.9

$49.28 A$70.0

26.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 A$134

$120 A$170

-20.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$159

$131 A$186

-14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 A$1,874

$1,703 A$2,419

-22.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 A$1,835

$1,409 A$2,002

-8.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,391 A$3,397

$3,496 A$4,967

-31.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 A$2,937

$2,527 A$3,590

-18.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,398 A$7,670

$7,978 A$11.3K

-32.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,260 A$7,474

$6,900 A$9,805

-23.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

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 Berwick: October 24, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berwick

$1.3K 50.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 9.1% $118

Groceries & Markets

Berwick

$363 14.2%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 6.3% $23

Eating Out

Berwick

$295 11.6%

Melbourne

$312 11% 5.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berwick

$257 10.1%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 25% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Berwick

$158 6.2%

Melbourne

$171 6% 8.8% $14

Getting Around

Berwick

$103 4%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 61% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Berwick

$87 3.4%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 3.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,319 in Berwick and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Berwick vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $363 vs $386, with Berwick cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Berwick

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

Same time as Berwick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,674

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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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

Berwick vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Berwick is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,830 in Berwick and $4,273 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,319 in Berwick versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,169 in Berwick 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 Berwick runs roughly 42% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Berwick 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, Berwick and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.