Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bunbury and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Bunbury: $2,192 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Bunbury
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Bunbury Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Bunbury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,192

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Bunbury versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Bunbury $2,192
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,364 in Bunbury versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Bunbury $3,364
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,536 in Bunbury versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Bunbury $4,536
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Bunbury costs roughly 23% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bunbury 61% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.96 A$29.81

$17.50 A$24.88

19.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 A$117

$84.3 A$120

-2.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 A$15.89

$12.17 A$17.30

-8.22%

Cappuccino

$4.15 A$5.90

$4.07 A$5.79

1.97%

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

$2.77 A$3.94

$3.18 A$4.52

-12.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 A$3.13

$2.50 A$3.55

-12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.49 A$12.08

$9.57 A$13.61

-11.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.53 A$12.13

$8.25 A$11.73

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 A$1.54

$1.50 A$2.14

-27.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 A$1.58

$2.97 A$4.22

-62.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 A$2.78

$2.68 A$3.82

-26.87%

Eggs

$5.30 A$7.53

$5.45 A$7.76

-2.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.85

$10.71 A$15.23

-15.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 A$11.88

$10.05 A$14.29

-16.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.27 A$11.77

$15.00 A$21.33

-44.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 A$5.29

$4.07 A$5.79

-8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.49

$3.14 A$4.46

0.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.07

$3.12 A$4.43

-8.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.53

$4.73 A$6.73

-2.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$2.98 A$4.24

-6.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.81

$2.49 A$3.55

-20.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 A$2.54

$2.48 A$3.53

-28.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 A$1.12

$1.60 A$2.27

-50.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.21 A$37.27

$44.65 A$63.5

-41.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 A$9.90

$12.68 A$18.03

-45.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.24

$5.55 A$7.89

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 A$4.85

$5.18 A$7.37

-34.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 A$4.04

$3.84 A$5.46

-26.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.9 A$79.5

$139 A$197

-59.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 A$5.05

$4.36 A$6.20

-18.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.02

$1.37 A$1.94

3.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.44 A$50.4

$29.72 A$42.26

19.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 A$1.74

$1.49 A$2.11

-18.12%

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

$20.7K A$29.5K

$29.1K A$41.4K

-28.70%

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

$18.7K A$26.6K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-27.09%

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

$157 A$224

$236 A$335

-33.24%

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

$32.85 A$46.71

$28.01 A$39.83

17.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 A$89.4

$57.2 A$81.4

9.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$79.0

$48.39 A$68.8

14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.48 A$14.89

$21.46 A$30.52

-51.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 A$19.80

$17.67 A$25.12

-21.22%

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

$2,269 A$3,226

$2,461 A$3,499

-7.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.6K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-22.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 A$109

$81.2 A$115

-5.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$89.7

$49.28 A$70.1

27.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$173

$120 A$170

1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 A$136

$131 A$186

-26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 A$1,411

$1,703 A$2,421

-41.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 A$1,419

$1,409 A$2,003

-29.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 A$2,630

$3,496 A$4,971

-47.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 A$2,576

$2,527 A$3,593

-28.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,785 A$6,804

$7,978 A$11.3K

-40.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,027 A$5,726

$6,900 A$9,812

-41.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,606 A$6,549

$4,257 A$6,053

8.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.9

1.02%

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

Last update for Bunbury: October 27, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bunbury

$998 45.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 41.2% $411

Eating Out

Bunbury

$330 15.1%

Melbourne

$312 11% 5.4% $18

Groceries & Markets

Bunbury

$288 13.2%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 34.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bunbury

$253 11.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 26.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Bunbury

$161 7.3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bunbury

$83 3.8%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Bunbury

$78 3.6%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 112% $87

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $992 in Bunbury and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83 in Bunbury vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $386 per month, with Bunbury cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bunbury

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

3 h ahead of Bunbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,196

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bunbury Melbourne 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bunbury
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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

Bunbury vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bunbury is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Bunbury, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $992 in Bunbury versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,192 per month in Bunbury versus $2,849 in Melbourne – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,192 in Bunbury versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Bunbury but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Bunbury 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, Bunbury 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.