Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Feilding and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Feilding: $1,771 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Feilding
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Feilding Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Feilding

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,771

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Feilding vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Feilding $1,771
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Feilding vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Feilding $2,775
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,780 per month in Feilding vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Feilding $3,780
Melbourne $5,650

Feilding is about 37% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Feilding and Melbourne sit above the global median – Feilding by 31%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.80 NZ$22.64

$17.43 A$25.08

-26.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 NZ$107

$84.6 A$122

-28.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 NZ$17.28

$12.46 A$17.92

-21.59%

Cappuccino

$3.71 NZ$6.56

$4.11 A$5.91

-9.73%

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

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$3.06 A$4.40

-40.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 NZ$3.46

$2.52 A$3.62

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 NZ$12.28

$9.80 A$14.10

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.83

$8.57 A$12.33

-28.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.80

$1.48 A$2.14

6.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 NZ$3.03

$2.94 A$4.23

-41.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 NZ$2.58

$2.66 A$3.82

-45.11%

Eggs

$6.24 NZ$11.04

$5.54 A$7.97

12.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.64 NZ$13.51

$10.51 A$15.13

-27.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 NZ$14.66

$9.65 A$13.89

-14.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 NZ$26.44

$15.22 A$21.91

-1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 NZ$4.74

$3.99 A$5.75

-32.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 NZ$3.43

$3.02 A$4.34

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 NZ$5.10

$3.10 A$4.46

-7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.19 NZ$10.95

$4.82 A$6.93

28.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 NZ$3.87

$3.03 A$4.36

-27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 NZ$2.86

$2.44 A$3.52

-33.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 NZ$4.08

$2.46 A$3.54

-6.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 NZ$1.91

$1.63 A$2.34

-33.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.89 NZ$44.02

$44.07 A$63.4

-43.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 NZ$17.19

$12.70 A$18.28

-23.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 NZ$5.18

$5.54 A$7.97

-47.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 NZ$6.74

$5.23 A$7.52

-27.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 NZ$2.61

$3.74 A$5.38

-60.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.2 NZ$128

$138 A$198

-47.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 NZ$4.12

$4.51 A$6.50

-48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 NZ$3.41

$1.36 A$1.96

41.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.76 NZ$47.32

$30.45 A$43.81

-12.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 NZ$3.20

$1.47 A$2.12

23.13%

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

$28.4K NZ$50.2K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-2.11%

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

$25.7K NZ$45.5K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-2.80%

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

$103 NZ$183

$234 A$336

-55.84%

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

$25.16 NZ$44.49

$27.93 A$40.19

-9.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 NZ$97.0

$55.7 A$80.2

-1.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.01 NZ$58.4

$49.40 A$71.1

-33.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 NZ$21.18

$15.09 A$21.72

-20.68%

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

$716 NZ$1,266

$2,371 A$3,412

-69.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NZ$25.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-51.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 NZ$119

$80.0 A$115

-16.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.53 NZ$69.9

$50.7 A$73.0

-22.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 NZ$185

$121 A$174

-13.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 NZ$176

$130 A$188

-23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 NZ$1,785

$1,759 A$2,531

-42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NZ$1,324

$1,390 A$2,000

-46.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 NZ$3,026

$3,494 A$5,027

-51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 NZ$2,577

$2,493 A$3,588

-41.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,214 NZ$7,453

$6,926 A$9,967

-39.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,260 NZ$5,765

$6,445 A$9,274

-49.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.9

-5.59%

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

Last update for Feilding: October 13, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Feilding

$749 42.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 85.6% $641

Groceries & Markets

Feilding

$314 17.7%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 22.2% $70

Eating Out

Feilding

$238 13.5%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 31.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Feilding

$183 10.3%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 73.2% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Feilding

$140 7.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 22.9% $32

Getting Around

Feilding

$90 5.1%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 81.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Feilding

$57 3.2%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 39.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,010 in Feilding versus $1,759 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 $61.0 in Feilding versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $384 – making Feilding the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Feilding

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

2 h behind Feilding

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,350

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

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Between locations

Feilding Melbourne 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Feilding
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

Feilding vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 59% more than Feilding, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,657 per month in Feilding and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Feilding, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Feilding and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Feilding, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Feilding it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Feilding – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Feilding. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.