Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookvale and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Brookvale: $2,565 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Brookvale
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Brookvale Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Brookvale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,565

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,565 in Brookvale versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Brookvale $2,565
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,679 in Brookvale versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Brookvale $3,679
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,794 in Brookvale versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Brookvale $4,794
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Brookvale 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: Brookvale 88% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 A$25.41

$17.50 A$24.99

1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 A$127

$84.3 A$120

5.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 A$14.87

$12.17 A$17.38

-14.46%

Cappuccino

$4.04 A$5.77

$4.07 A$5.82

-0.74%

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

$2.92 A$4.18

$3.18 A$4.54

-8.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.24

$2.50 A$3.57

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 A$11.76

$9.57 A$13.67

-14.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 A$10.45

$8.25 A$11.78

-11.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.25

$1.50 A$2.15

5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.40

$2.68 A$3.83

-11.19%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.36

$5.45 A$7.79

-5.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 A$16.91

$10.71 A$15.30

10.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 A$13.65

$10.05 A$14.35

-4.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 A$22.30

$15.00 A$21.42

4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.62

$4.07 A$5.81

-3.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.52

$3.14 A$4.48

0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.82

$3.12 A$4.45

8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.33

$4.73 A$6.76

8.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$2.98 A$4.26

8.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.10

$2.49 A$3.56

15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$2.48 A$3.54

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$1.60 A$2.28

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.39 A$63.4

$44.65 A$63.8

-0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 A$20.35

$12.68 A$18.11

12.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 A$5.74

$5.55 A$7.92

-27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 A$5.78

$5.18 A$7.40

-21.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.11 A$4.44

$3.84 A$5.48

-19.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 A$125

$139 A$198

-37.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.99

$4.36 A$6.22

-19.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$1.37 A$1.95

16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.58 A$58.0

$29.72 A$42.45

36.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.98

$1.49 A$2.12

-7.38%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$29.1K A$41.5K

-3.25%

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

$26.6K A$38.0K

$25.7K A$36.7K

3.54%

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

$183 A$262

$236 A$337

-22.17%

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

$27.11 A$38.71

$28.01 A$40.01

-3.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$80.7

$57.2 A$81.7

-1.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 A$82.3

$48.39 A$69.1

19.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 A$22.65

$21.46 A$30.65

-26.10%

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 A$22.66

$17.67 A$25.23

-10.19%

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

$2,397 A$3,423

$2,461 A$3,515

-2.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.2K

$29.7K A$42.4K

-31.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$109

$81.2 A$116

-6.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 A$82.3

$49.28 A$70.4

17.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$120 A$171

-10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$131 A$187

-3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 A$1,414

$1,703 A$2,432

-41.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 A$1,787

$1,409 A$2,012

-11.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,216 A$3,165

$3,496 A$4,992

-36.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 A$2,560

$2,527 A$3,608

-29.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,889 A$8,410

$7,978 A$11.4K

-26.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,963 A$7,087

$6,900 A$9,854

-28.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,423 A$2,033

$4,257 A$6,079

-66.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Brookvale: 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

Brookvale

$1.3K 48.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 12.6% $157

Groceries & Markets

Brookvale

$382 14.9%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 1.2% $4.8

Eating Out

Brookvale

$299 11.6%

Melbourne

$312 11% 4.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookvale

$267 10.4%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 20.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Brookvale

$165 6.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 3.6% $6

Getting Around

Brookvale

$111 4.3%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 48.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Brookvale

$89 3.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 6.3% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $990 in Brookvale and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Brookvale vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $386, with Brookvale cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brookvale

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

Same time as Brookvale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,127

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brookvale Melbourne 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brookvale
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

Brookvale vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,565 in Brookvale and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Brookvale is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Brookvale. 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: $990 in Brookvale 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 Brookvale runs roughly 37% less than in Melbourne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,565 per month in Brookvale versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Brookvale is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Brookvale wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.