Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geraldton and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Geraldton: $2,504 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Geraldton
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Geraldton Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Geraldton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,504

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,504 per month in Geraldton vs $2,849 in Melbourne, rent included.

Geraldton $2,504
Melbourne $2,849

A couple spends around $3,618 per month in Geraldton vs $4,274 in Melbourne, rent included.

Geraldton $3,618
Melbourne $4,274

A family of three spends $4,732 per month in Geraldton vs $5,699 in Melbourne, rent included.

Geraldton $4,732
Melbourne $5,699

Geraldton is about 12% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Geraldton and Melbourne sit above the global median – Geraldton by 84%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 A$21.67

$17.50 A$24.88

-12.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 A$120

$84.3 A$120

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.53

$12.17 A$17.30

-10.27%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.85

$4.07 A$5.79

0.98%

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

$2.95 A$4.20

$3.18 A$4.52

-7.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 A$3.36

$2.50 A$3.55

-5.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.71

$9.57 A$13.61

-21.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 A$10.58

$8.25 A$11.73

-9.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.16

$1.50 A$2.14

1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 A$3.90

$2.97 A$4.22

-7.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.18

$2.68 A$3.82

-16.79%

Eggs

$5.15 A$7.33

$5.45 A$7.76

-5.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 A$12.67

$10.71 A$15.23

-16.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 A$13.42

$10.05 A$14.29

-6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.64 A$23.65

$15.00 A$21.33

10.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 A$5.23

$4.07 A$5.79

-9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.41

$3.14 A$4.46

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.55

$3.12 A$4.43

2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.76

$4.73 A$6.73

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.73

$2.98 A$4.24

-11.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.54

$2.49 A$3.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.48 A$3.53

-2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.25

$1.60 A$2.27

-1.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.78 A$59.4

$44.65 A$63.5

-6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.82 A$19.65

$12.68 A$18.03

8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 A$5.88

$5.55 A$7.89

-25.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.51

$5.18 A$7.37

1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.81

$3.84 A$5.46

-30.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 A$117

$139 A$197

-40.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 A$5.28

$4.36 A$6.20

-14.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 A$2.57

$1.37 A$1.94

31.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.10 A$64.1

$29.72 A$42.26

51.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.10

$1.49 A$2.11

-0.67%

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

$31.3K A$44.6K

$29.1K A$41.4K

7.73%

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

$26.7K A$37.9K

$25.7K A$36.5K

3.93%

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

$204 A$290

$236 A$335

-13.42%

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

$27.36 A$38.90

$28.01 A$39.83

-2.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 A$81.9

$57.2 A$81.4

0.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.50 A$69.0

$48.39 A$68.8

0.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 A$25.99

$21.46 A$30.52

-14.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.72 A$22.35

$17.67 A$25.12

-11.04%

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

$1,841 A$2,618

$2,461 A$3,499

-25.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K A$25.2K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-40.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.2 A$95.6

$81.2 A$115

-17.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 A$82.2

$49.28 A$70.1

17.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$144

$120 A$170

-14.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$179

$131 A$186

-3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 A$2,015

$1,703 A$2,421

-16.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 A$1,738

$1,409 A$2,003

-13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,188

$3,496 A$4,971

-35.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 A$2,633

$2,527 A$3,593

-26.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,661 A$8,050

$7,978 A$11.3K

-29.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,640 A$6,597

$6,900 A$9,812

-32.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,257 A$6,053

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 Geraldton: October 24, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geraldton

$1.2K 48.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 15.3% $187

Groceries & Markets

Geraldton

$370 14.8%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 4.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geraldton

$289 11.5%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 11% $32

Eating Out

Geraldton

$278 11.1%

Melbourne

$312 11% 12.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Geraldton

$159 6.3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 8% $13

Getting Around

Geraldton

$106 4.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 55.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Geraldton

$80 3.2%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 4.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,417 in Geraldton versus $1,703 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 $84 in Geraldton versus $84 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $386 – making Geraldton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Geraldton

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

3 h ahead of Geraldton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,717

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Geraldton Melbourne 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Geraldton
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

Geraldton vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,504 in Geraldton, $2,849 in Melbourne – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,755 per month in Geraldton and $4,273 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Geraldton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,417 there versus $1,703 in Melbourne.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Geraldton. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Geraldton – 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.