Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cranbourne and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Cranbourne: $2,367 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Cranbourne
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Cranbourne Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,367

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Cranbourne versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Cranbourne $2,367
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,551 in Cranbourne versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Cranbourne $3,551
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,736 in Cranbourne versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Cranbourne $4,736
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Cranbourne costs roughly 17% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cranbourne 74% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.67 A$12.33

$17.50 A$24.89

-50.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 A$118

$84.3 A$120

-1.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.68

$12.17 A$17.31

2.14%

Cappuccino

$2.64 A$3.76

$4.07 A$5.79

-35.14%

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

$2.84 A$4.04

$3.18 A$4.52

-10.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 A$2.28

$2.50 A$3.55

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.20

$9.57 A$13.61

-25.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.33 A$10.42

$8.25 A$11.73

-11.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.50 A$2.14

82.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 A$4.65

$2.97 A$4.22

10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 A$5.53

$2.68 A$3.82

45.15%

Eggs

$4.93 A$7.01

$5.45 A$7.76

-9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 A$14.67

$10.71 A$15.24

-3.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 A$15.31

$10.05 A$14.29

7.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.29 A$17.49

$15.00 A$21.33

-18.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 A$4.67

$4.07 A$5.79

-19.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.71

$3.14 A$4.46

5.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.71

$3.12 A$4.44

28.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.11

$4.73 A$6.73

-24.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.79

$2.98 A$4.24

13.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.25

$2.49 A$3.55

-8.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 A$2.19

$2.48 A$3.53

-37.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.27

$1.60 A$2.28

-0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$50.6 A$71.9

$44.65 A$63.5

13.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.63 A$32.19

$12.68 A$18.04

78.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$8.81 A$12.54

$5.55 A$7.89

58.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 A$7.32

$5.18 A$7.37

-0.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 A$1.93

$3.84 A$5.46

-64.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.3 A$119

$139 A$197

-39.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 A$9.34

$4.36 A$6.20

50.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.08

$1.37 A$1.94

6.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.56 A$34.93

$29.72 A$42.28

-17.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.82

$1.49 A$2.11

-14.09%

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

$29.8K A$42.4K

$29.1K A$41.4K

2.47%

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

$26.8K A$38.1K

$25.7K A$36.5K

4.49%

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

$268 A$381

$236 A$335

13.55%

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

$27.95 A$39.76

$28.01 A$39.84

-0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.09 A$32.84

$57.2 A$81.4

-59.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.77 A$55.1

$48.39 A$68.8

-19.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.10 A$25.74

$21.46 A$30.53

-15.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 A$13.04

$17.67 A$25.13

-48.10%

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

$1,940 A$2,759

$2,461 A$3,500

-21.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K A$30.5K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-27.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$81.2 A$116

-6.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.75 A$39.46

$49.28 A$70.1

-43.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$152

$120 A$170

-10.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$177

$131 A$186

-5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 A$1,831

$1,703 A$2,422

-24.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 A$1,570

$1,409 A$2,004

-21.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 A$3,069

$3,496 A$4,972

-38.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 A$2,805

$2,527 A$3,594

-21.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,985 A$8,513

$7,978 A$11.3K

-24.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,241 A$6,032

$6,900 A$9,814

-38.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,737 A$2,470

$4,257 A$6,055

-59.21%

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 Cranbourne: 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

Cranbourne

$1.1K 46.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 27.6% $305

Groceries & Markets

Cranbourne

$427 18%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 9.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cranbourne

$319 13.5%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 0.7% $2.3

Eating Out

Cranbourne

$207 8.7%

Melbourne

$312 11% 51.2% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Cranbourne

$151 6.4%

Melbourne

$171 6% 13.7% $21

Getting Around

Cranbourne

$103 4.3%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 61% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cranbourne

$57 2.4%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 46.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,287 in Cranbourne and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Cranbourne vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $427 vs $386, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

Same time as Cranbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,281

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Cranbourne vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,367 in Cranbourne and $2,849 in Melbourne, so Cranbourne is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Cranbourne. 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: $1,287 in Cranbourne versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,367 per month in Cranbourne versus $2,849 in Melbourne – Cranbourne is about 17% 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, Cranbourne and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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