Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,328 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
Learn more

Carlton Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,328 in Carlton versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Carlton $2,328
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,353 in Carlton versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Carlton $3,353
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Carlton versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Carlton $4,379
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Carlton costs roughly 18% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carlton 71% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 A$24.64

$17.50 A$24.87

-0.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 A$98.2

$84.3 A$120

-18.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.61

$12.17 A$17.30

-15.53%

Cappuccino

$3.03 A$4.31

$4.07 A$5.79

-25.55%

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

$2.70 A$3.84

$3.18 A$4.52

-15.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 A$2.91

$2.50 A$3.55

-18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 A$9.50

$9.57 A$13.60

-30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 A$9.38

$8.25 A$11.73

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.85

$1.50 A$2.14

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 A$2.95

$2.97 A$4.22

-29.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 A$1.98

$2.68 A$3.81

-48.13%

Eggs

$3.41 A$4.84

$5.45 A$7.75

-37.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 A$14.78

$10.71 A$15.23

-2.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 A$14.16

$10.05 A$14.28

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 A$21.23

$15.00 A$21.32

-0.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.71

$4.07 A$5.78

-18.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.92

$3.14 A$4.46

-12.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.65

$3.12 A$4.43

4.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 A$6.78

$4.73 A$6.73

0.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.98 A$4.24

-19.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.09

$2.49 A$3.55

-12.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.48 A$3.53

-9.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.28

$1.60 A$2.27

-43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.30 A$35.96

$44.65 A$63.5

-43.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 A$15.08

$12.68 A$18.02

-16.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.57 A$7.92

$5.55 A$7.88

0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.50

$5.18 A$7.37

1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.38

$3.84 A$5.45

-19.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.7 A$118

$139 A$197

-40.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 A$5.21

$4.36 A$6.19

-15.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.37 A$1.94

-9.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.46 A$37.61

$29.72 A$42.25

-10.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$1.49 A$2.11

-13.42%

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

$18.2K A$25.9K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-37.30%

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

$14.0K A$20.0K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-45.28%

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

$93.2 A$132

$236 A$335

-60.46%

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

$28.34 A$40.28

$28.01 A$39.82

1.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.79 A$66.5

$57.2 A$81.4

-18.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 A$45.27

$48.39 A$68.8

-34.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.45

$21.46 A$30.51

-16.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 A$19.13

$17.67 A$25.11

-23.83%

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

$2,108 A$2,996

$2,461 A$3,498

-14.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.6K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-58.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$114

$81.2 A$115

-1.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$72.5

$49.28 A$70.0

3.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 A$99.0

$120 A$170

-41.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$187

$131 A$186

0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 A$2,003

$1,703 A$2,420

-17.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 A$1,755

$1,409 A$2,002

-12.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,220 A$3,156

$3,496 A$4,969

-36.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 A$2,611

$2,527 A$3,591

-27.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,665 A$8,052

$7,978 A$11.3K

-29.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,619 A$6,565

$6,900 A$9,808

-33.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,904 A$8,392

$4,257 A$6,051

38.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Carlton: 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

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 14.1% $174

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$340 14.6%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 13.7% $47

Eating Out

Carlton

$272 11.7%

Melbourne

$312 11% 15.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$168 7.2%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 90.7% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.4%

Melbourne

$171 6% 14.7% $22

Getting Around

Carlton

$105 4.5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 57.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$59 2.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 42.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,409 in Carlton and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69 in Carlton vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $386 per month, with Carlton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

Same time as Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Carlton Melbourne 2 km

From you

Carlton
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

Carlton vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,328 in Carlton and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Carlton is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Carlton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,409 in Carlton versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,108 in Carlton versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.