Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Melbourne

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Darwin is 9% more expensive than Melbourne without rent, and 8.5% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Darwin is 14.1% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 8.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 A$26.95
$19.2 A$29.41
-8.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.3 A$126
$78.6 A$120
4.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.55 A$19.22
$10.02 A$15.35
25.25%
Cappuccino
$3.45 A$5.29
$3.67 A$5.62
-5.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 A$4.1
$2.54 A$3.89
5.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 A$4.88
$2.28 A$3.49
39.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.41 A$9.82
$7.28 A$11.15
-11.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.85 A$12.02
$7.3 A$11.18
7.53%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 A$1.77
$1.44 A$2.2
-19.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.83 A$4.33
$2.63 A$4.02
7.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.11 A$3.23
$2.27 A$3.48
-7.05%
Eggs
$3.96 A$6.06
$4.86 A$7.45
-18.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.7 A$14.86
$8.74 A$13.39
10.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.2 A$12.56
$9.19 A$14.07
-10.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.68 A$13.29
$14.95 A$22.9
-41.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.64 A$5.57
$3.33 A$5.1
9.31%
Banana (1kg)
$2.81 A$4.31
$2.84 A$4.35
-1.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.73 A$5.72
$3 A$4.6
24.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.35 A$6.67
$3.95 A$6.05
10.13%
Potato (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.83
$2.67 A$4.09
17.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 A$3.46
$2.34 A$3.58
-3.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 A$3.24
$2.15 A$3.3
-1.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.38 A$3.65
$1.64 A$2.5
45.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.27 A$38.72
$32.11 A$49.19
-21.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.67 A$17.87
$13.13 A$20.11
-11.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$9.48 A$14.52
$4.54 A$6.96
108.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 A$10.86
$5.05 A$7.74
40.40%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 A$3.56
$3.67 A$5.62
-36.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.45 A$68.1
$118 A$180
-62.26%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.44 A$5.28
$3.65 A$5.6
-5.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 A$1.74
$1.34 A$2.05
-14.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$45.82 A$70.2
$27.26 A$41.77
68.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 A$1.7
$1.19 A$1.82
-6.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K A$44.6K
$28.6K A$43.9K
1.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K A$49.4K
$23.5K A$36K
37.24%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$232 A$356
$150 A$230
54.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.39 A$52.7
$20.8 A$31.86
65.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.2 A$90.8
$51 A$78.2
16.07%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.2 A$114
$48.23 A$73.9
53.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.96 A$24.45
$15.91 A$24.38
0.31%
Cinema Ticket
$15.87 A$24.31
$16.53 A$25.32
-3.99%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,535 A$2,352
$1,730 A$2,651
-11.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,749 A$11.9K
$19.1K A$29.3K
-59.51%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.9 A$121
$67.8 A$104
16.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45 A$68.9
$53.7 A$82.2
-16.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 A$159
$108 A$165
-3.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$203
$106 A$162
24.82%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,603 A$2,456
$1,548 A$2,371
3.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,305 A$1,999
$1,228 A$1,881
6.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,723 A$4,172
$2,973 A$4,555
-8.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,282 A$3,496
$1,956 A$2,997
16.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,542 A$3,895
$7,110 A$10.9K
-64.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,377 A$6,706
$5,790 A$8,871
-24.40%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Darwin
Melbourne
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,240 A$4,963
$4,045 A$6,198
-19.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.4
6.19
3.39%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Darwin: October 28, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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