Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Broken Hill and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Broken Hill: $2,371 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
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Broken Hill Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,371

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,371 in Broken Hill versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Broken Hill $2,371
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,506 in Broken Hill versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Broken Hill $3,506
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,641 in Broken Hill versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Broken Hill $4,641
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Broken Hill costs roughly 17% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Broken Hill 74% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 A$23.93

$17.50 A$24.98

-4.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$84.3 A$120

-1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 A$13.00

$12.17 A$17.37

-25.14%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.90

$4.07 A$5.82

1.47%

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

$2.79 A$3.99

$3.18 A$4.54

-12.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 A$3.33

$2.50 A$3.56

-6.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 A$10.66

$9.57 A$13.66

-21.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.00 A$9.99

$8.25 A$11.78

-15.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.52

$1.50 A$2.15

17.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 A$4.00

$2.97 A$4.24

-5.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.91

$2.68 A$3.83

-23.88%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.90

$5.45 A$7.78

1.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 A$13.74

$10.71 A$15.29

-10.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 A$14.53

$10.05 A$14.34

1.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 A$23.33

$15.00 A$21.41

9.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 A$6.07

$4.07 A$5.81

4.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.06

$3.14 A$4.48

-9.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$3.12 A$4.45

-4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 A$6.74

$4.73 A$6.75

-0.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.32

$2.98 A$4.25

1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.34

$2.49 A$3.56

-6.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 A$3.19

$2.48 A$3.54

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.60 A$2.28

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$48.29 A$68.9

$44.65 A$63.7

8.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 A$21.75

$12.68 A$18.10

20.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.21 A$6.01

$5.55 A$7.91

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 A$7.81

$5.18 A$7.40

5.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.85

$3.84 A$5.48

-29.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.7 A$109

$139 A$198

-44.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 A$5.38

$4.36 A$6.22

-13.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 A$2.56

$1.37 A$1.95

31.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.58 A$63.6

$29.72 A$42.43

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.49 A$2.12

2.01%

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

$30.7K A$43.8K

$29.1K A$41.5K

5.59%

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

$24.5K A$35.0K

$25.7K A$36.6K

-4.54%

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

$205 A$293

$236 A$336

-12.99%

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

$25.11 A$35.85

$28.01 A$39.98

-10.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.6

$57.2 A$81.7

-0.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 A$90.8

$48.39 A$69.1

31.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 A$21.62

$21.46 A$30.64

-29.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 A$19.95

$17.67 A$25.22

-20.94%

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

$2,372 A$3,386

$2,461 A$3,513

-3.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K A$30.9K

$29.7K A$42.4K

-27.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 A$98.4

$81.2 A$116

-15.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.07 A$68.6

$49.28 A$70.3

-2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$120 A$171

-11.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$178

$131 A$187

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 A$2,276

$1,703 A$2,430

-6.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 A$1,527

$1,409 A$2,011

-24.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 A$3,214

$3,496 A$4,989

-35.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 A$2,456

$2,527 A$3,606

-31.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,079 A$7,249

$7,978 A$11.4K

-36.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,926 A$7,031

$6,900 A$9,849

-28.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,076

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 Broken Hill: 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

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 31.7% $339

Groceries & Markets

Broken Hill

$383 16.1%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 1% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Broken Hill

$287 12.1%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 11.7% $34

Eating Out

Broken Hill

$283 11.9%

Melbourne

$312 11% 10.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Broken Hill

$156 6.6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 9.6% $15

Getting Around

Broken Hill

$100 4.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 64.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Broken Hill

$92 3.9%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 8.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,594 in Broken Hill and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Broken Hill vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $386 per month, with Broken Hill cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

30 min ahead of Broken Hill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,456

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Broken Hill Melbourne 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Broken Hill
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

Broken Hill vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Broken Hill is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,556 in Broken Hill 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: $1,594 in Broken Hill versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Broken Hill runs roughly 45% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,372 in Broken Hill versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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