Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,849 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Darwin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Darwin versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Darwin $3,073
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,118 in Darwin versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Darwin $4,118
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Darwin $5,163
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Darwin is roughly 8% more expensive than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 126% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.40 A$31.85

$17.50 A$24.88

28.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 A$129

$84.3 A$120

7.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 A$16.16

$12.17 A$17.30

-6.66%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.01

$4.07 A$5.79

3.93%

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

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.18 A$4.52

8.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 A$4.28

$2.50 A$3.55

20.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.76

$9.57 A$13.61

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 A$10.77

$8.25 A$11.73

-8.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.50 A$2.14

2.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 A$4.32

$2.97 A$4.22

2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.13

$2.68 A$3.82

-17.91%

Eggs

$4.47 A$6.35

$5.45 A$7.76

-17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.68

$10.71 A$15.23

-16.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 A$11.82

$10.05 A$14.29

-17.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 A$12.58

$15.00 A$21.33

-41.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.47

$4.07 A$5.79

-5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.10

$3.14 A$4.46

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$3.12 A$4.43

-10.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.15

$4.73 A$6.73

6.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$2.98 A$4.24

-14.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.49 A$3.55

-7.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.48 A$3.53

-16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.09

$1.60 A$2.27

35.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.35 A$64.5

$44.65 A$63.5

1.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 A$17.28

$12.68 A$18.03

-4.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.13 A$14.40

$5.55 A$7.89

82.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.19

$5.18 A$7.37

51.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 A$68.8

$139 A$197

-65.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 A$5.25

$4.36 A$6.20

-15.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.37 A$1.94

-1.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.52 A$69.0

$29.72 A$42.26

63.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.49 A$2.11

-10.74%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

$29.1K A$41.4K

3.00%

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

$33.4K A$47.5K

$25.7K A$36.5K

30.05%

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

$215 A$305

$236 A$335

-8.97%

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

$33.49 A$47.61

$28.01 A$39.83

19.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 A$86.7

$57.2 A$81.4

6.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 A$104

$48.39 A$68.8

50.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 A$40.13

$21.46 A$30.52

31.50%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 A$24.16

$17.67 A$25.12

-3.85%

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

$1,939 A$2,756

$2,461 A$3,499

-21.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,442 A$12.0K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-71.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 A$121

$81.2 A$115

4.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 A$66.2

$49.28 A$70.1

-5.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$120 A$170

-11.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$196

$131 A$186

5.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 A$2,444

$1,703 A$2,421

0.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,430

$1,409 A$2,003

21.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 A$3,985

$3,496 A$4,971

-19.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 A$3,021

$2,527 A$3,593

-15.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,771 A$5,363

$7,978 A$11.3K

-52.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 A$5,028

$6,900 A$9,812

-48.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,223 A$6,005

$4,257 A$6,053

-0.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

5.9

4.07%

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

Last update for Darwin: 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

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 17.6% $300

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.3%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 2.4% $9.1

Eating Out

Darwin

$343 11.2%

Melbourne

$312 11% 8.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$309 10.1%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 3.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$169 5.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 1.5% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$107 3.5%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 21.7% $23

Getting Around

Darwin

$59 * 1.9%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 181% $106

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 $1,719 in Darwin and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Darwin vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $386, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

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

Darwin Melbourne 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

Darwin vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,609 in Darwin and $4,273 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,719 in Darwin versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Darwin runs roughly 65% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $3,073 per month in Darwin versus $2,849 in Melbourne – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Darwin and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.