Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaithersburg, MD and Melbourne

For one person, living costs are similar in Gaithersburg, MD and in Melbourne: $2,885 and $2,821 a month, rent and utilities included.

139

Cost of Living Index in Gaithersburg, MD
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Gaithersburg, MD Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Gaithersburg, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,885

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,885 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Gaithersburg, MD $2,885
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,150 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Gaithersburg, MD $4,150
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,415 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Gaithersburg, MD $5,415
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Gaithersburg, MD is roughly 2% more expensive than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gaithersburg, MD 114% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 $20.11

$17.43 A$25.08

15.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 $90.7

$84.6 A$122

7.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 $6.90

$12.46 A$17.92

-44.62%

Cappuccino

$5.74 $5.74

$4.11 A$5.91

39.66%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$3.06 A$4.40

-9.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.52 A$3.62

-5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$9.80 A$14.10

-20.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.72 $8.72

$8.57 A$12.33

1.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.48 A$2.14

-19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.94 A$4.23

51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$2.66 A$3.82

100.38%

Eggs

$5.19 $5.19

$5.54 A$7.97

-6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.77 $17.77

$10.51 A$15.13

69.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.82 $15.82

$9.65 A$13.89

63.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$15.22 A$21.91

26.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.99 A$5.75

19.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$3.02 A$4.34

-43.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.10 A$4.46

47.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$4.82 A$6.93

13.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.03 A$4.36

0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.44 A$3.52

-16.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.46 A$3.54

-12.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.63 A$2.34

52.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 $14.23

$44.07 A$63.4

-67.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$12.70 A$18.28

17.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$5.54 A$7.97

-68.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$5.23 A$7.52

-44.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 A$5.38

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$4.51 A$6.50

-10.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.36 A$1.96

-7.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.37 $25.37

$30.45 A$43.81

-16.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.47 A$2.12

-29.25%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-7.26%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-4.81%

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

$165 $165

$234 A$336

-29.39%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$27.93 A$40.19

87.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$55.7 A$80.2

12.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.65 $31.65

$49.40 A$71.1

-35.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$17.08 $17.08

$15.09 A$21.72

13.19%

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

$1,569 $1,569

$2,371 A$3,412

-33.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K $36.0K

$30.2K A$43.5K

19.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 $56.4

$80.0 A$115

-29.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.25 $36.25

$50.7 A$73.0

-28.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$121 A$174

-16.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$130 A$188

-9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 $1,814

$1,759 A$2,531

3.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 $1,597

$1,390 A$2,000

14.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$3,494 A$5,027

-31.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,434 $2,434

$2,493 A$3,588

-2.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,474 $2,474

$6,926 A$9,967

-64.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,606 $2,606

$6,445 A$9,274

-59.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,141 $5,141

$4,383 A$6,307

17.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.9

15.08%

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

Last update for Gaithersburg, MD: October 11, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaithersburg, MD

$1.6K 55.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 13% $207

Groceries & Markets

Gaithersburg, MD

$464 16.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 17.3% $80

Eating Out

Gaithersburg, MD

$328 11.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaithersburg, MD

$280 9.7%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 13.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Gaithersburg, MD

$140 4.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 22.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Gaithersburg, MD

$66 2.3%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 20.9% $14

Getting Around

Gaithersburg, MD

$10 * 0.4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1486% $153

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 $1,814 in Gaithersburg, MD and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gaithersburg, MD pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Gaithersburg, MD vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $384 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Gaithersburg, MD

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

15 h ahead of Gaithersburg, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,657

5,031,195

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Gaithersburg, MD Melbourne 16,380 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Gaithersburg, MD
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

Gaithersburg, MD vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gaithersburg, MD and Melbourne differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,885 vs $2,821 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Gaithersburg, MD, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,814 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,569 in Gaithersburg, MD versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Melbourne – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $91.0 in Gaithersburg, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Melbourne is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Gaithersburg, MD 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.

Expats usually find Melbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Gaithersburg, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.