Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geelong and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Geelong: $2,602 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Geelong
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Geelong Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Geelong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,602

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,602 in Geelong versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Geelong $2,602
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,495 in Geelong versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Geelong $3,495
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,387 in Geelong versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Geelong $4,387
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Geelong costs roughly 8% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geelong 93% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.56 A$25.27

$17.43 A$25.08

0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 A$118

$84.6 A$122

-2.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.29 A$14.80

$12.46 A$17.92

-17.42%

Cappuccino

$3.80 A$5.47

$4.11 A$5.91

-7.54%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$3.06 A$4.40

-8.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 A$3.10

$2.52 A$3.62

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 A$9.39

$9.80 A$14.10

-33.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 A$11.30

$8.57 A$12.33

-8.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.48 A$2.14

4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 A$3.65

$2.94 A$4.23

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.70

$2.66 A$3.82

-29.70%

Eggs

$4.27 A$6.14

$5.54 A$7.97

-22.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 A$11.15

$10.51 A$15.13

-26.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.90

$9.65 A$13.89

0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.35 A$22.08

$15.22 A$21.91

0.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 A$5.92

$3.99 A$5.75

3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.20

$3.02 A$4.34

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.18

$3.10 A$4.46

-6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$4.82 A$6.93

-32.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.40

$3.03 A$4.36

0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.12

$2.44 A$3.52

-11.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 A$2.98

$2.46 A$3.54

-15.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.24

$1.63 A$2.34

-4.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.24 A$65.1

$44.07 A$63.4

2.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 A$18.19

$12.70 A$18.28

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.78 A$5.45

$5.54 A$7.97

-31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 A$4.27

$5.23 A$7.52

-43.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.45 A$10.72

$3.74 A$5.38

99.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 A$184

$138 A$198

-6.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 A$6.41

$4.51 A$6.50

-1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.97 A$43.12

$30.45 A$43.81

-1.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.85

$1.47 A$2.12

-12.24%

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

$28.0K A$40.2K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-3.59%

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

$26.3K A$37.9K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-0.57%

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

$155 A$222

$234 A$336

-33.84%

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

$25.90 A$37.28

$27.93 A$40.19

-7.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$81.3

$55.7 A$80.2

1.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$80.1

$49.40 A$71.1

12.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.25 A$21.95

$21.48 A$30.91

-29.00%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 A$18.30

$15.09 A$21.72

-15.71%

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

$2,138 A$3,076

$2,371 A$3,412

-9.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.6K A$42.6K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-1.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 A$114

$80.0 A$115

-0.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.93 A$70.4

$50.7 A$73.0

-3.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 A$135

$121 A$174

-22.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$151

$130 A$188

-19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 A$1,818

$1,759 A$2,531

-28.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 A$1,933

$1,390 A$2,000

-3.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,717 A$2,471

$3,494 A$5,027

-50.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 A$2,167

$2,493 A$3,588

-39.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,557 A$9,436

$6,926 A$9,967

-5.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,281 A$7,600

$6,445 A$9,274

-18.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,086 A$4,441

$4,383 A$6,307

-29.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

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

Last update for Geelong: 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

Geelong

$1.3K 51.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 3.4% $46

Groceries & Markets

Geelong

$340 13.1%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 13.1% $44

Eating Out

Geelong

$285 11%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 10.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geelong

$237 9.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 33.9% $80

Getting Around

Geelong

$169 6.5%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 3.1% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Geelong

$147 5.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 16.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Geelong

$81 3.1%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 1.9% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,264 in Geelong and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 42% 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: $82.0 in Geelong vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $384 per month, with Geelong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Geelong

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

Same time as Geelong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,239

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Geelong vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geelong and Melbourne differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,602 vs $2,821 including rent). Geelong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Melbourne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,264 in Geelong versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,602 per month in Geelong versus $2,821 in Melbourne – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Geelong runs roughly 7% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,602 in Geelong versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Geelong but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Geelong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Geelong 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 Geelong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.