Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Forbes: $2,530 a month against $2,823 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,530

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Forbes versus $2,823 in Melbourne.

Forbes $2,530
Melbourne $2,823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,647 in Forbes versus $4,253 in Melbourne.

Forbes $3,647
Melbourne $4,253

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,764 in Forbes versus $5,683 in Melbourne.

Forbes $4,764
Melbourne $5,683

Living in Forbes costs roughly 10% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Forbes 87% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.25 A$24.58

$17.34 A$24.71

-0.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 A$120

$82.7 A$118

2.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.01

$12.63 A$18.00

-16.55%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.77

$4.22 A$6.01

-4.03%

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

$2.90 A$4.13

$3.12 A$4.44

-7.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$2.48 A$3.54

-10.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 A$11.04

$9.69 A$13.81

-20.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 A$10.62

$8.30 A$11.83

-10.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.50 A$2.14

1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.87

$3.08 A$4.38

-12.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$2.64 A$3.77

-15.15%

Eggs

$5.06 A$7.21

$5.58 A$7.94

-9.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 A$13.65

$9.78 A$13.94

-2.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 A$13.06

$9.52 A$13.57

-3.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.62

$15.18 A$21.63

-4.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.26

$4.22 A$6.01

-12.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.33

$3.13 A$4.46

-2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.67

$3.24 A$4.62

1.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.71

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.94

$3.13 A$4.46

-11.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.41

$2.46 A$3.51

-2.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 A$3.32

$2.40 A$3.42

-2.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$1.47 A$2.10

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.64 A$60.8

$42.76 A$60.9

-0.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 A$20.28

$12.90 A$18.38

10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.78 A$6.81

$5.53 A$7.88

-13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 A$7.43

$5.16 A$7.35

0.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 A$3.95

$3.79 A$5.41

-26.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.2 A$121

$141 A$201

-39.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 A$5.08

$3.75 A$5.35

-5.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.32

$1.44 A$2.06

13.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.80 A$58.2

$28.93 A$41.23

41.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.87

$1.45 A$2.06

-8.97%

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

$29.2K A$41.7K

$29.6K A$42.1K

-1.13%

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

$26.1K A$37.2K

$26.3K A$37.4K

-0.48%

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

$212 A$302

$229 A$326

-7.41%

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

$27.83 A$39.66

$26.76 A$38.13

4.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.2

$57.5 A$82.0

-0.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$79.9

$49.77 A$70.9

12.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 A$25.60

$21.45 A$30.57

-16.22%

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 A$20.20

$17.43 A$24.84

-18.65%

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

$2,134 A$3,040

$2,435 A$3,469

-12.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.5K

$33.6K A$47.9K

-40.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.2 A$109

$80.4 A$115

-5.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$77.2

$51.5 A$73.4

5.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$152

$121 A$173

-12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$134 A$190

-8.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 A$1,976

$1,748 A$2,491

-20.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 A$1,739

$1,386 A$1,975

-11.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 A$3,183

$3,468 A$4,942

-35.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 A$2,616

$2,520 A$3,590

-27.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,936 A$8,459

$8,274 A$11.8K

-28.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,932 A$7,028

$7,066 A$10.1K

-30.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,206 A$5,994

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.97

-1.17%

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

Last update for Forbes: November 2, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.2K 48.2%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.1% 13.6% $166

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$366 14.5%

Melbourne

$383 13.6% 4.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$297 11.7%

Melbourne

$313 11.1% 5.5% $16

Eating Out

Forbes

$292 11.6%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 7.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$162 6.4%

Melbourne

$174 6.2% 7.6% $12

Getting Around

Forbes

$108 4.3%

Melbourne

$167 5.9% 55.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$84 3.3%

Melbourne

$85 3% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,386 in Forbes and $1,748 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84 in Forbes vs $83 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $383, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

Same time as Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Forbes Melbourne 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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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

Forbes vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,530 in Forbes and $2,823 in Melbourne, so Forbes is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,795 in Forbes and $4,234 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: $1,386 in Forbes versus $1,748 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,530 per month in Forbes versus $2,823 in Melbourne – Forbes is about 10% 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, Forbes and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.