Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castle Hill and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Castle Hill: $2,551 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Castle Hill
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Castle Hill Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Castle Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,551

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,551 per month in Castle Hill vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Castle Hill $2,551
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $3,579 per month in Castle Hill vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Castle Hill $3,579
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $4,606 per month in Castle Hill vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Castle Hill $4,606
Melbourne $5,699

Castle Hill is about 10% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Castle Hill and Melbourne sit above the global median – Castle Hill by 87%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.79 A$21.03

$17.50 A$24.88

-15.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.3 A$95.7

$84.3 A$120

-20.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 A$14.94

$12.17 A$17.30

-13.64%

Cappuccino

$4.04 A$5.74

$4.07 A$5.79

-0.74%

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

$2.82 A$4.01

$3.18 A$4.52

-11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 A$3.32

$2.50 A$3.55

-6.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 A$10.70

$9.57 A$13.61

-21.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.56 A$10.74

$8.25 A$11.73

-8.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.23

$1.50 A$2.14

4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.44

$2.97 A$4.22

-18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 A$6.06

$2.68 A$3.82

58.96%

Eggs

$5.88 A$8.36

$5.45 A$7.76

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 A$13.29

$10.71 A$15.23

-12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.09

$10.05 A$14.29

-8.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.33

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 A$5.54

$4.07 A$5.79

-4.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.41

$3.14 A$4.46

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.12 A$4.43

1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 A$6.68

$4.73 A$6.73

-0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.92

$2.98 A$4.24

-7.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.42

$2.49 A$3.55

-3.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.33

$2.48 A$3.53

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.60 A$2.27

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.82 A$59.5

$44.65 A$63.5

-6.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.55 A$20.69

$12.68 A$18.03

14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.84

$5.55 A$7.89

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 A$7.30

$5.18 A$7.37

-0.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.00

$3.84 A$5.46

-26.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.7 A$119

$139 A$197

-39.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 A$4.63

$4.36 A$6.20

-25.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.37 A$1.94

12.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.75 A$62.2

$29.72 A$42.26

47.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.75

$1.49 A$2.11

-17.45%

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

$31.3K A$44.5K

$29.1K A$41.4K

7.61%

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

$26.4K A$37.5K

$25.7K A$36.5K

2.68%

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

$211 A$301

$236 A$335

-10.26%

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

$28.13 A$40.00

$28.01 A$39.83

0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$80.0

$57.2 A$81.4

-1.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 A$79.7

$48.39 A$68.8

15.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 A$25.06

$21.46 A$30.52

-17.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 A$20.00

$17.67 A$25.12

-20.37%

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

$2,177 A$3,095

$2,461 A$3,499

-11.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K A$25.5K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-39.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 A$111

$81.2 A$115

-4.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.1 A$76.9

$49.28 A$70.1

9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$155

$120 A$170

-9.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$174

$131 A$186

-6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 A$1,995

$1,703 A$2,421

-17.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 A$1,781

$1,409 A$2,003

-11.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,243 A$3,189

$3,496 A$4,971

-35.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 A$2,540

$2,527 A$3,593

-29.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,136 A$7,303

$7,978 A$11.3K

-35.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,537 A$6,451

$6,900 A$9,812

-34.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

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 Castle Hill: October 27, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Castle Hill

$1.3K 49.1%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 12.5% $156

Groceries & Markets

Castle Hill

$378 14.8%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 2.3% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castle Hill

$296 11.6%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 8.5% $25

Eating Out

Castle Hill

$272 10.7%

Melbourne

$312 11% 15% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Castle Hill

$163 6.4%

Melbourne

$171 6% 5% $8.1

Getting Around

Castle Hill

$106 4.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 56% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Castle Hill

$84 3.3%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,403 in Castle Hill 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Castle Hill versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $386 – making Castle Hill the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Castle Hill

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

Same time as Castle Hill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,284

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Castle Hill Melbourne 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Castle Hill
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

Castle Hill vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,551 in Castle Hill, $2,849 in Melbourne – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,827 per month in Castle Hill 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 Castle Hill, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,403 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Castle Hill and $84 in Melbourne. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Castle Hill. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.