Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coffs Harbour and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Coffs Harbour: $2,468 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Coffs Harbour
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Coffs Harbour Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Coffs Harbour

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,468

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,468 in Coffs Harbour versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Coffs Harbour $2,468
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,579 in Coffs Harbour versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Coffs Harbour $3,579
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,690 in Coffs Harbour versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Coffs Harbour $4,690
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Coffs Harbour costs roughly 13% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Coffs Harbour 81% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 A$20.34

$17.50 A$24.98

-18.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 A$148

$84.3 A$120

23.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 A$12.67

$12.17 A$17.37

-27.12%

Cappuccino

$3.77 A$5.39

$4.07 A$5.82

-7.37%

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

$2.86 A$4.09

$3.18 A$4.54

-10.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 A$2.78

$2.50 A$3.56

-22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.37 A$7.67

$9.57 A$13.66

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 A$7.83

$8.25 A$11.78

-33.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.50 A$2.15

1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 A$3.76

$2.97 A$4.24

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.42

$2.68 A$3.83

-10.45%

Eggs

$3.36 A$4.80

$5.45 A$7.78

-38.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 A$12.41

$10.71 A$15.29

-18.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 A$10.15

$10.05 A$14.34

-29.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 A$19.65

$15.00 A$21.41

-8.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.68

$4.07 A$5.81

-2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.41

$3.14 A$4.48

-1.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.96

$3.12 A$4.45

11.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.93

$4.73 A$6.75

-12.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 A$2.04

$2.98 A$4.25

-52.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.49

$2.49 A$3.56

-2.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 A$3.60

$2.48 A$3.54

1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.38

$1.60 A$2.28

48.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.01 A$45.68

$44.65 A$63.7

-28.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 A$20.29

$12.68 A$18.10

12.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.63

$5.55 A$7.91

9.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 A$9.46

$5.18 A$7.40

27.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.72 A$6.74

$3.84 A$5.48

22.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 A$3.01

$4.36 A$6.22

-51.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.27

$1.37 A$1.95

16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.69 A$50.9

$29.72 A$42.43

20.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.49 A$2.12

-11.41%

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

$28.9K A$41.3K

$29.1K A$41.5K

-0.49%

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

$26.7K A$38.1K

$25.7K A$36.6K

3.99%

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

$175 A$249

$236 A$336

-25.86%

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

$10.59 A$15.11

$28.01 A$39.98

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 A$76.9

$57.2 A$81.7

-5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 A$154

$48.39 A$69.1

122.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.46 A$30.64

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 A$19.20

$17.67 A$25.22

-23.88%

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

$2,183 A$3,116

$2,461 A$3,513

-11.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K A$16.8K

$29.7K A$42.4K

-60.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 A$110

$81.2 A$116

-5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 A$76.4

$49.28 A$70.3

8.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$146

$120 A$171

-14.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$131 A$187

-5.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 A$1,997

$1,703 A$2,430

-17.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 A$1,858

$1,409 A$2,011

-7.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 A$3,013

$3,496 A$4,989

-39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 A$2,776

$2,527 A$3,606

-23.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,566 A$5,089

$7,978 A$11.4K

-55.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,623 A$5,172

$6,900 A$9,849

-47.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,275 A$4,674

$4,257 A$6,076

-23.07%

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 Coffs Harbour: 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

Coffs Harbour

$1.3K 52.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 8.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Coffs Harbour

$360 14.6%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 7.3% $26

Eating Out

Coffs Harbour

$243 9.8%

Melbourne

$312 11% 28.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coffs Harbour

$239 9.7%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 34.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Coffs Harbour

$161 6.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 6.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Coffs Harbour

$135 5.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 37.8% $51

Getting Around

Coffs Harbour

$29 * 1.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 471% $136

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,399 in Coffs Harbour and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $104 in Coffs Harbour vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $386, with Coffs Harbour cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Coffs Harbour

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

Same time as Coffs Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,759

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Coffs Harbour Melbourne 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Coffs Harbour
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

Coffs Harbour vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Coffs Harbour is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Coffs Harbour. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,399 in Coffs Harbour versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,468 per month in Coffs Harbour versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Coffs Harbour is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Coffs Harbour wins on affordability, Melbourne on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.