Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Melbourne

🙂 Solo nomad: Canberra is 2% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 2.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Canberra is 4.2% more expensive than Melbourne without rent, and 1.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 A$24.8

$19.2 A$29.41

-15.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 A$136

$78.6 A$120

13.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 A$14.89

$10.02 A$15.35

-2.99%

Cappuccino

$3.46 A$5.3

$3.67 A$5.62

-5.72%

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

$2.61 A$4

$2.54 A$3.89

2.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.53

$2.28 A$3.49

1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.39 A$9.78

$7.28 A$11.15

-12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 A$11.74

$7.3 A$11.18

4.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 A$2.11

$1.44 A$2.2

-4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$4.06

$2.63 A$4.02

0.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 A$2.79

$2.27 A$3.48

-19.82%

Eggs

$4.24 A$6.49

$4.86 A$7.45

-12.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.7 A$14.86

$8.74 A$13.39

10.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 A$14.22

$9.19 A$14.07

0.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.54 A$22.27

$14.95 A$22.9

-2.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.96

$3.33 A$5.1

-2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 A$4.55

$2.84 A$4.35

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.67

$3 A$4.6

1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 A$7.13

$3.95 A$6.05

17.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.3 A$3.52

$2.67 A$4.09

-13.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.32

$2.34 A$3.58

-7.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.6

$2.15 A$3.3

9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 A$1.95

$1.64 A$2.5

-21.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.15 A$47.73

$32.11 A$49.19

-2.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 A$19.82

$13.13 A$20.11

-1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.03 A$7.71

$4.54 A$6.96

10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 A$8.91

$5.05 A$7.74

15.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.2 A$4.9

$3.67 A$5.62

-12.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 A$184

$118 A$180

1.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 A$5.96

$3.65 A$5.6

6.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.64

$1.34 A$2.05

28.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$63.5

$27.26 A$41.77

52.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.8

$1.19 A$1.82

-0.84%

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

$29.3K A$44.8K

$28.6K A$43.9K

2.17%

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

$22.6K A$34.6K

$23.5K A$36K

-3.88%

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

$219 A$336

$150 A$230

45.72%

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

$29.78 A$45.63

$20.8 A$31.86

43.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 A$79.2

$51 A$78.2

1.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 A$92.7

$48.23 A$73.9

25.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 A$31.17

$15.91 A$24.38

27.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 A$21.13

$16.53 A$25.32

-16.58%

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

$1,765 A$2,704

$1,730 A$2,651

2.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K A$20.5K

$19.1K A$29.3K

-30.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72 A$110

$67.8 A$104

6.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 A$86.3

$53.7 A$82.2

5.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 A$153

$108 A$165

-7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 A$177

$106 A$162

8.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 A$2,431

$1,548 A$2,371

2.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 A$1,788

$1,228 A$1,881

-4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,777 A$4,255

$2,973 A$4,555

-6.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 A$2,660

$1,956 A$2,997

-11.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,525 A$11.5K

$7,110 A$10.9K

5.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,945 A$7,575

$5,790 A$8,871

-14.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,636 A$5,570

$4,045 A$6,198

-10.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.29

6.19

1.62%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 27, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria