Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gladstone and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Gladstone: $2,533 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,533 in Gladstone versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Gladstone $2,533
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Gladstone versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Gladstone $3,459
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,385 in Gladstone versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Gladstone $4,385
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Gladstone costs roughly 11% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gladstone 86% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 A$25.14

$17.50 A$24.88

1.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 A$115

$84.3 A$120

-3.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 A$16.91

$12.17 A$17.30

-2.30%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.87

$4.07 A$5.79

1.47%

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

$3.10 A$4.41

$3.18 A$4.52

-2.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.91

$2.50 A$3.55

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 A$10.69

$9.57 A$13.61

-21.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 A$13.20

$8.25 A$11.73

12.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.50 A$2.14

1.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.88

$2.97 A$4.22

-8.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.68 A$3.82

-14.18%

Eggs

$4.85 A$6.90

$5.45 A$7.76

-11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 A$13.13

$10.71 A$15.23

-13.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$10.05 A$14.29

-8.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.61

$15.00 A$21.33

-3.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.45

$4.07 A$5.79

-5.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.44

$3.14 A$4.46

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.69

$3.12 A$4.43

5.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 A$6.64

$4.73 A$6.73

-1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.75

$2.98 A$4.24

-11.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$2.49 A$3.55

-4.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.48 A$3.53

-2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 A$2.29

$1.60 A$2.27

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.88 A$59.6

$44.65 A$63.5

-6.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$19.78

$12.68 A$18.03

9.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 A$6.90

$5.55 A$7.89

-12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.61

$5.18 A$7.37

3.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.02

$3.84 A$5.46

-26.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 A$121

$139 A$197

-38.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 A$5.72

$4.36 A$6.20

-7.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.98

$1.37 A$1.94

1.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.05 A$62.6

$29.72 A$42.26

48.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.80

$1.49 A$2.11

-14.77%

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

$26.9K A$38.2K

$29.1K A$41.4K

-7.59%

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

$24.9K A$35.4K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-2.89%

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

$205 A$291

$236 A$335

-13.11%

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

$27.56 A$39.19

$28.01 A$39.83

-1.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.3

$57.2 A$81.4

-5.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$79.8

$48.39 A$68.8

15.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 A$25.07

$21.46 A$30.52

-17.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.90 A$19.77

$17.67 A$25.12

-21.34%

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

$1,958 A$2,785

$2,461 A$3,499

-20.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$28.9K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-31.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$100

$81.2 A$115

-13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 A$88.8

$49.28 A$70.1

26.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 A$140

$120 A$170

-17.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$174

$131 A$186

-6.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 A$1,964

$1,703 A$2,421

-18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,739

$1,409 A$2,003

-13.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 A$1,948

$3,496 A$4,971

-60.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 A$2,083

$2,527 A$3,593

-42.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,583 A$7,939

$7,978 A$11.3K

-30.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,980 A$7,081

$6,900 A$9,812

-27.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,599 A$7,962

$4,257 A$6,053

31.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.9

-11.02%

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

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 15.2% $186

Groceries & Markets

Gladstone

$367 14.5%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 5.3% $19

Eating Out

Gladstone

$306 12.1%

Melbourne

$312 11% 2% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gladstone

$287 11.3%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 11.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Gladstone

$159 6.3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 7.6% $12

Getting Around

Gladstone

$107 4.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 54.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Gladstone

$84 3.3%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,381 in Gladstone and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81 in Gladstone vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $386 per month, with Gladstone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

1 h ahead of Gladstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,703

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

On the map

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Between locations

Gladstone Melbourne 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Gladstone
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

Gladstone vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gladstone wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gladstone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Gladstone, 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: $1,381 in Gladstone versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,533 per month in Gladstone versus $2,849 in Melbourne – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Gladstone runs roughly 39% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Gladstone 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, Gladstone 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 Gladstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.