Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busselton and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Busselton: $2,622 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Busselton
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Busselton Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Busselton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,622

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,622 in Busselton versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Busselton $2,622
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,738 in Busselton versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Busselton $3,738
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,853 in Busselton versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Busselton $4,853
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Busselton costs roughly 8% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busselton 93% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.19

$17.50 A$24.88

1.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 A$122

$84.3 A$120

1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 A$14.87

$12.17 A$17.30

-14.05%

Cappuccino

$4.61 A$6.55

$4.07 A$5.79

13.27%

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

$2.06 A$2.93

$3.18 A$4.52

-35.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 A$3.06

$2.50 A$3.55

-14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 A$11.60

$9.57 A$13.61

-14.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.65 A$12.30

$8.25 A$11.73

4.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.40

$1.50 A$2.14

12.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 A$4.60

$2.97 A$4.22

9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 A$2.89

$2.68 A$3.82

-24.25%

Eggs

$5.29 A$7.52

$5.45 A$7.76

-2.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.83

$10.71 A$15.23

-15.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 A$13.44

$10.05 A$14.29

-5.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.73 A$19.52

$15.00 A$21.33

-8.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.53

$4.07 A$5.79

12.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.59

$3.14 A$4.46

2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.05

$3.12 A$4.43

13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 A$7.09

$4.73 A$6.73

5.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.14

$2.98 A$4.24

-2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.81

$2.49 A$3.55

-20.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.48 A$3.53

-10.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.60 A$2.27

-15.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.77 A$59.4

$44.65 A$63.5

-6.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 A$17.89

$12.68 A$18.03

-0.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.34 A$6.17

$5.55 A$7.89

-21.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 A$4.87

$5.18 A$7.37

-33.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.02

$3.84 A$5.46

-26.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 A$107

$139 A$197

-45.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.29

$4.36 A$6.20

-14.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.08

$1.37 A$1.94

6.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 A$57.6

$29.72 A$42.26

36.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.94

$1.49 A$2.11

-8.72%

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

$29.6K A$42.1K

$29.1K A$41.4K

1.85%

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

$27.3K A$38.8K

$25.7K A$36.5K

6.22%

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

$205 A$292

$236 A$335

-13.01%

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

$33.45 A$47.57

$28.01 A$39.83

19.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 A$92.0

$57.2 A$81.4

13.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 A$77.5

$48.39 A$68.8

12.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 A$28.12

$21.46 A$30.52

-7.88%

Cinema Ticket

$17.48 A$24.86

$17.67 A$25.12

-1.08%

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

$2,269 A$3,227

$2,461 A$3,499

-7.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K A$32.8K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-22.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.1 A$111

$81.2 A$115

-3.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.0 A$89.6

$49.28 A$70.1

27.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$120 A$170

3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 A$228

$131 A$186

22.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,831

$1,703 A$2,421

-24.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 A$1,806

$1,409 A$2,003

-9.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 A$3,364

$3,496 A$4,971

-32.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,815 A$2,581

$2,527 A$3,593

-28.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,978 A$8,500

$7,978 A$11.3K

-25.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,879 A$6,937

$6,900 A$9,812

-29.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

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 Busselton: 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

Busselton

$1.3K 48.5%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 10.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Busselton

$367 14%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 5.3% $20

Eating Out

Busselton

$303 11.6%

Melbourne

$312 11% 3% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busselton

$303 11.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 5.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Busselton

$191 7.3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 10.4% $20

Getting Around

Busselton

$98 3.7%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 69.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Busselton

$89 3.4%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 6.4% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Busselton and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Busselton vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $367 vs $386, with Busselton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Busselton

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

3 h ahead of Busselton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,233

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

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Between locations

Busselton Melbourne 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Busselton
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

Busselton vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busselton and Melbourne differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,622 vs $2,849 including rent). Busselton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,933 in Busselton 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: $1,288 in Busselton versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,269 in Busselton 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 Busselton runs roughly 46% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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, Busselton 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.