Cost of Living Comparison Between Byron Bay and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Byron Bay and Melbourne

🙂 Solo nomad: Byron Bay is 31.6% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 12.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Byron Bay is 23.3% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 17% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.04 A$19.98
$19.2 A$29.41
-32.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.9 A$79.5
$78.6 A$120
-33.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.8 A$15.01
$10.02 A$15.35
-2.20%
Cappuccino
$3.33 A$5.1
$3.67 A$5.62
-9.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 A$2.02
$2.54 A$3.89
-48.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 A$3.32
$2.28 A$3.49
-4.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.29 A$8.1
$7.28 A$11.15
-27.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.81 A$11.97
$7.3 A$11.18
6.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 A$2.47
$1.44 A$2.2
11.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 A$3.52
$2.63 A$4.02
-12.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.8 A$2.76
$2.27 A$3.48
-20.70%
Eggs
$4.39 A$6.72
$4.86 A$7.45
-9.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.17 A$12.51
$8.74 A$13.39
-6.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.25 A$12.65
$9.19 A$14.07
-10.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.75 A$21.06
$14.95 A$22.9
-8.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 A$5.16
$3.33 A$5.1
1.20%
Banana (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.41
$2.84 A$4.35
1.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.71 A$4.16
$3 A$4.6
-9.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.16 A$6.38
$3.95 A$6.05
5.32%
Potato (1kg)
$2.52 A$3.86
$2.67 A$4.09
-5.62%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 A$3.45
$2.34 A$3.58
-3.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 A$3.26
$2.15 A$3.3
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.3 A$1.99
$1.64 A$2.5
-20.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.73 A$47.08
$32.11 A$49.19
-4.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.96 A$19.85
$13.13 A$20.11
-1.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.73 A$7.25
$4.54 A$6.96
4.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 A$6.18
$5.05 A$7.74
-20.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 A$3.91
$3.67 A$5.62
-30.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 A$101
$118 A$180
-43.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.27 A$3.47
$3.65 A$5.6
-37.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.52 A$2.33
$1.34 A$2.05
13.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.68 A$51.6
$27.26 A$41.77
23.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 A$1.88
$1.19 A$1.82
2.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K A$44.7K
$28.6K A$43.9K
1.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22K A$33.7K
$23.5K A$36K
-6.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$147 A$226
$150 A$230
-2.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.08 A$20.05
$20.8 A$31.86
-37.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.59 A$60.7
$51 A$78.2
-22.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.65 A$74.5
$48.23 A$73.9
0.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.54 A$23.8
$15.91 A$24.38
-2.33%
Cinema Ticket
$12.91 A$19.78
$16.53 A$25.32
-21.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,614 A$2,472
$1,730 A$2,651
-6.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,657 A$13.3K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-54.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 A$98.4
$67.8 A$104
-5.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.48 A$29.84
$53.7 A$82.2
-63.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.1 A$98.1
$108 A$165
-40.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.7 A$153
$106 A$162
-6.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,243 A$1,904
$1,548 A$2,371
-19.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 A$1,626
$1,228 A$1,881
-13.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,017 A$3,091
$2,973 A$4,555
-32.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,668 A$2,555
$1,956 A$2,997
-14.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13K A$19.9K
$7,110 A$10.9K
82.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10K A$15.3K
$5,790 A$8,871
72.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Byron Bay
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,639 A$7,107
$4,045 A$6,198
14.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.24
6.19
0.81%

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

Last update for Byron Bay: October 28, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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