Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury-Bankstown and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury-Bankstown: $2,714 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury-Bankstown
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Canterbury-Bankstown Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Canterbury-Bankstown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,714

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Canterbury-Bankstown $2,714
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,798 in Canterbury-Bankstown versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Canterbury-Bankstown $3,798
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,882 in Canterbury-Bankstown versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Canterbury-Bankstown $4,882
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Canterbury-Bankstown costs roughly 5% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Canterbury-Bankstown 99% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 A$24.46

$17.50 A$24.86

-1.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 A$126

$84.3 A$120

5.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 A$14.66

$12.17 A$17.29

-15.20%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$5.57

$4.07 A$5.79

-3.69%

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

$2.79 A$3.97

$3.18 A$4.52

-12.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 A$3.11

$2.50 A$3.55

-12.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 A$11.73

$9.57 A$13.60

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 A$10.61

$8.25 A$11.72

-9.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 A$2.44

$1.50 A$2.14

14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 A$4.49

$2.97 A$4.22

6.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$2.68 A$3.81

-6.72%

Eggs

$5.62 A$7.98

$5.45 A$7.75

3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 A$17.12

$10.71 A$15.22

12.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 A$13.42

$10.05 A$14.28

-6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.86 A$23.95

$15.00 A$21.31

12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.57

$4.07 A$5.78

-3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.46

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 A$4.99

$3.12 A$4.43

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.14

$4.73 A$6.72

6.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.35

$2.98 A$4.23

2.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.58

$2.49 A$3.55

1.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.39

$2.48 A$3.53

-3.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$1.60 A$2.27

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.21 A$64.3

$44.65 A$63.4

1.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.28 A$20.29

$12.68 A$18.02

12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.74 A$6.73

$5.55 A$7.88

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 A$7.85

$5.18 A$7.37

6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.84 A$5.45

-20.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 A$126

$139 A$197

-36.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 A$4.86

$4.36 A$6.19

-21.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.31

$1.37 A$1.94

18.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.96 A$58.2

$29.72 A$42.23

37.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.04

$1.49 A$2.11

-3.36%

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

$28.5K A$40.5K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-1.99%

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

$26.2K A$37.2K

$25.7K A$36.5K

1.89%

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

$182 A$258

$236 A$335

-22.86%

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

$27.52 A$39.10

$28.01 A$39.80

-1.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$79.7

$57.2 A$81.3

-2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 A$79.4

$48.39 A$68.8

15.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 A$25.05

$21.46 A$30.50

-17.85%

Cinema Ticket

$17.23 A$24.48

$17.67 A$25.10

-2.49%

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

$2,401 A$3,412

$2,461 A$3,497

-2.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.4K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-32.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 A$109

$81.2 A$115

-5.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.8 A$101

$49.28 A$70.0

43.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$120 A$170

-6.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$192

$131 A$186

3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 A$1,877

$1,703 A$2,419

-22.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,383 A$1,965

$1,409 A$2,002

-1.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,263 A$3,215

$3,496 A$4,967

-35.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 A$2,614

$2,527 A$3,590

-27.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,114 A$7,267

$7,978 A$11.3K

-35.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,147 A$7,314

$6,900 A$9,805

-25.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,049

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Canterbury-Bankstown: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury-Bankstown

$1.4K 51%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 1.9% $26

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury-Bankstown

$394 14.5%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 1.9% $7.3

Eating Out

Canterbury-Bankstown

$292 10.8%

Melbourne

$312 11% 7.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury-Bankstown

$265 9.8%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 20.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury-Bankstown

$177 6.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 3.4% $6

Getting Around

Canterbury-Bankstown

$112 4.1%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 47% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury-Bankstown

$90 3.3%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 7.3% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,321 in Canterbury-Bankstown and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $89 in Canterbury-Bankstown vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $386 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canterbury-Bankstown

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

Same time as Canterbury-Bankstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,983

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Canterbury-Bankstown Melbourne 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Canterbury-Bankstown
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

Canterbury-Bankstown vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,714 in Canterbury-Bankstown and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Canterbury-Bankstown is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,071 in Canterbury-Bankstown 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: $1,321 in Canterbury-Bankstown versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,401 in Canterbury-Bankstown versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Melbourne – a meal for two runs $84 versus $89 in Canterbury-Bankstown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Canterbury-Bankstown and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.