Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caboolture and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Caboolture: $1,935 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Caboolture
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Caboolture Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Caboolture

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,935

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,935 per month in Caboolture vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Caboolture $1,935
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $2,832 per month in Caboolture vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Caboolture $2,832
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Caboolture vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Caboolture $3,728
Melbourne $5,699

Caboolture is about 32% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Caboolture and Melbourne sit above the global median – Caboolture by 42%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.79 A$15.29

$17.50 A$24.79

-38.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.52 A$70.2

$84.3 A$119

-41.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 A$15.18

$12.17 A$17.24

-12.00%

Cappuccino

$2.82 A$4.00

$4.07 A$5.77

-30.71%

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

$1.83 A$2.60

$3.18 A$4.50

-42.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.20

$2.50 A$3.54

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.16

$9.57 A$13.56

-25.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 A$10.85

$8.25 A$11.69

-7.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.77

$1.50 A$2.13

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 A$2.92

$2.97 A$4.21

-30.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.79

$2.68 A$3.80

-26.49%

Eggs

$4.14 A$5.86

$5.45 A$7.73

-24.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 A$12.28

$10.71 A$15.18

-19.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 A$13.32

$10.05 A$14.24

-6.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.58 A$17.82

$15.00 A$21.25

-16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.34

$4.07 A$5.76

-24.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.73

$3.14 A$4.44

-15.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$4.96

$3.12 A$4.42

12.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 A$6.05

$4.73 A$6.70

-9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 A$2.76

$2.98 A$4.22

-34.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 A$2.58

$2.49 A$3.53

-26.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 A$2.95

$2.48 A$3.52

-16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 A$1.32

$1.60 A$2.27

-41.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.84 A$42.27

$44.65 A$63.3

-33.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 A$20.10

$12.68 A$17.96

11.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 A$5.60

$5.55 A$7.86

-28.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 A$9.66

$5.18 A$7.35

31.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 A$2.29

$3.84 A$5.44

-57.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 A$117

$139 A$196

-40.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 A$3.01

$4.36 A$6.17

-51.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 A$1.57

$1.37 A$1.94

-18.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.32 A$48.62

$29.72 A$42.11

15.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.87

$1.49 A$2.10

-11.41%

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

$24.5K A$34.8K

$29.1K A$41.2K

-15.60%

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

$25.6K A$36.3K

$25.7K A$36.4K

-0.25%

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

$179 A$254

$236 A$334

-23.92%

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

$11.76 A$16.66

$28.01 A$39.68

-58.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.18 A$69.7

$57.2 A$81.1

-14.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.54 A$31.94

$48.39 A$68.6

-53.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 A$25.54

$21.46 A$30.41

-15.98%

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 A$19.02

$17.67 A$25.03

-24.00%

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

$1,737 A$2,461

$2,461 A$3,486

-29.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,239 A$6,006

$29.7K A$42.1K

-85.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.16 A$48.39

$81.2 A$115

-57.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 A$73.4

$49.28 A$69.8

5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 A$140

$120 A$169

-17.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 A$105

$131 A$186

-43.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 A$1,508

$1,703 A$2,412

-37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 A$1,261

$1,409 A$1,996

-36.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 A$2,184

$3,496 A$4,952

-55.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 A$2,117

$2,527 A$3,579

-40.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,973 A$8,461

$7,978 A$11.3K

-25.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,192 A$7,355

$6,900 A$9,775

-24.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,819 A$2,577

$4,257 A$6,030

-57.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.9

-3.56%

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

Last update for Caboolture: 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

Caboolture

$890 46%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 58.3% $519

Groceries & Markets

Caboolture

$326 16.8%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 18.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caboolture

$240 12.4%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 33.6% $81

Eating Out

Caboolture

$217 11.2%

Melbourne

$312 11% 44% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Caboolture

$116 6%

Melbourne

$171 6% 47.2% $55

Getting Around

Caboolture

$97 5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 70.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Caboolture

$49 2.6%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 69.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,064 in Caboolture versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Melbourne are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Caboolture versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $386 – making Caboolture the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Caboolture

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

14:07 2:07 PM

1 h ahead of Caboolture

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,534

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Caboolture Melbourne 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Caboolture
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

Caboolture vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 47% more than Caboolture, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,903 per month in Caboolture and $4,273 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caboolture, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,064 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Kindergarten costs $1,737 per month in Caboolture and $2,461 in Melbourne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Melbourne, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Caboolture – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Caboolture. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.