Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Melbourne Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Melbourne

🙂 Solo nomad: Forbes is 18.8% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 7.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Forbes is 3.1% cheaper than Melbourne without rent, and 10.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.4 A$25.12

$19.2 A$29.41

-14.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.3 A$120

$78.6 A$120

-0.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 A$15.23

$10.02 A$15.35

-0.80%

Cappuccino

$3.49 A$5.35

$3.67 A$5.62

-4.90%

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

$2.53 A$3.88

$2.54 A$3.89

-0.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.2 A$3.37

$2.28 A$3.49

-3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 A$10.14

$7.28 A$11.15

-9.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 A$10.65

$7.3 A$11.18

-4.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.18

$1.44 A$2.2

-1.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 A$3.63

$2.63 A$4.02

-9.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 A$3.08

$2.27 A$3.48

-11.45%

Eggs

$4.26 A$6.52

$4.86 A$7.45

-12.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 A$13.34

$8.74 A$13.39

-0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 A$13.09

$9.19 A$14.07

-6.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$21.03

$14.95 A$22.9

-8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 A$5.11

$3.33 A$5.1

0.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 A$4.18

$2.84 A$4.35

-3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.56

$3 A$4.6

-0.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.38

$3.95 A$6.05

5.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.4 A$3.68

$2.67 A$4.09

-10.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.32

$2.34 A$3.58

-7.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 A$3.33

$2.15 A$3.3

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 A$2.32

$1.64 A$2.5

-7.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.39 A$46.56

$32.11 A$49.19

-5.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 A$17.86

$13.13 A$20.11

-11.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.55 A$6.97

$4.54 A$6.96

0.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$8.35

$5.05 A$7.74

7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 A$4.04

$3.67 A$5.62

-28.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 A$99.4

$118 A$180

-44.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 A$5.33

$3.65 A$5.6

-4.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.39

$1.34 A$2.05

16.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.47 A$51.3

$27.26 A$41.77

22.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.83

$1.19 A$1.82

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

$29.4K A$45.1K

$28.6K A$43.9K

2.73%

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

$22.6K A$34.6K

$23.5K A$36K

-3.77%

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

$187 A$286

$150 A$230

24.09%

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

$27.19 A$41.65

$20.8 A$31.86

30.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.1 A$79.8

$51 A$78.2

2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.43 A$74.2

$48.23 A$73.9

0.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.76 A$24.15

$15.91 A$24.38

-0.94%

Cinema Ticket

$12.77 A$19.56

$16.53 A$25.32

-22.75%

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

$1,637 A$2,509

$1,730 A$2,651

-5.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12K A$18.4K

$19.1K A$29.3K

-37.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68 A$104

$67.8 A$104

0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 A$78.8

$53.7 A$82.2

-4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 A$154

$108 A$165

-6.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$165

$106 A$162

1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 A$1,950

$1,548 A$2,371

-17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 A$1,613

$1,228 A$1,881

-14.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 A$3,102

$2,973 A$4,555

-31.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 A$2,552

$1,956 A$2,997

-14.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,779 A$7,321

$7,110 A$10.9K

-32.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,104 A$7,819

$5,790 A$8,871

-11.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 A$6,198

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

6.19

2.42%

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

Last update for Forbes: October 29, 2025

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

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