Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gold Coast and Melbourne

For one person, living costs are similar in Gold Coast and in Melbourne: $2,922 and $2,849 a month, rent and utilities included.

140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,922 in Gold Coast versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Gold Coast $2,922
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,497 in Gold Coast versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Gold Coast $4,497
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,073 in Gold Coast versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Gold Coast $6,073
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Gold Coast is roughly 3% more expensive than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gold Coast 115% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 A$29.59

$17.50 A$24.88

18.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$149

$84.3 A$120

24.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 A$15.09

$12.17 A$17.30

-12.74%

Cappuccino

$3.76 A$5.34

$4.07 A$5.79

-7.62%

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

$2.83 A$4.02

$3.18 A$4.52

-11.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.50

$2.50 A$3.55

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 A$11.05

$9.57 A$13.61

-18.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 A$10.68

$8.25 A$11.73

-8.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.23

$1.50 A$2.14

4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.76

$2.97 A$4.22

-10.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.35

$2.68 A$3.82

-11.94%

Eggs

$4.90 A$6.97

$5.45 A$7.76

-10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 A$12.93

$10.71 A$15.23

-15.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.51

$10.05 A$14.29

-5.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$20.92

$15.00 A$21.33

-1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.61

$4.07 A$5.79

-2.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.54

$3.14 A$4.46

1.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.93

$3.12 A$4.43

11.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.91

$4.73 A$6.73

-12.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.68

$2.98 A$4.24

-13.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.53

$2.49 A$3.55

-0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.48

$2.48 A$3.53

-1.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 A$3.30

$1.60 A$2.27

45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.55 A$64.8

$44.65 A$63.5

2.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 A$20.17

$12.68 A$18.03

11.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.73 A$8.15

$5.55 A$7.89

3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 A$9.56

$5.18 A$7.37

29.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.88

$3.84 A$5.46

-28.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 A$79.7

$139 A$197

-59.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.15

$4.36 A$6.20

-49.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.34

$1.37 A$1.94

20.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.90 A$52.5

$29.72 A$42.26

24.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.49 A$2.11

-7.38%

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

$29.2K A$41.5K

$29.1K A$41.4K

0.36%

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

$26.6K A$37.8K

$25.7K A$36.5K

3.69%

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

$218 A$310

$236 A$335

-7.43%

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

$31.16 A$44.31

$28.01 A$39.83

11.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.4

$57.2 A$81.4

-4.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 A$86.3

$48.39 A$68.8

25.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.58 A$25.00

$21.46 A$30.52

-18.08%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 A$19.20

$17.67 A$25.12

-23.60%

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

$2,134 A$3,034

$2,461 A$3,499

-13.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$17.2K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-59.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$109

$81.2 A$115

-6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 A$76.2

$49.28 A$70.1

8.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$120 A$170

-11.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$131 A$186

-5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,260

$1,703 A$2,421

34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 A$2,258

$1,409 A$2,003

12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,278 A$4,662

$3,496 A$4,971

-6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 A$4,263

$2,527 A$3,593

18.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K A$15.4K

$7,978 A$11.3K

35.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,117 A$10.1K

$6,900 A$9,812

3.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,855

$4,257 A$6,053

-3.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.9

-3.56%

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

Last update for Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 11.3% $179

Groceries & Markets

Gold Coast

$384 13.2%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 0.5% $2.1

Eating Out

Gold Coast

$318 10.9%

Melbourne

$312 11% 1.9% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gold Coast

$304 10.4%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 5.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Gold Coast

$162 5.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 5.9% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Gold Coast

$88 3%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 4.5% $4

Getting Around

Gold Coast

$77 2.7%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 114% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in Gold Coast and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $105 in Gold Coast vs $84 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $386, with Gold Coast cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

21:06 9:06 PM

1 h ahead of Gold Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,665

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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Highest

Between locations

Gold Coast Melbourne 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gold Coast
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

Gold Coast vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gold Coast and Melbourne differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,922 vs $2,849 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Gold Coast. 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: $2,293 in Gold Coast versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gold Coast runs roughly 60% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,922 per month in Gold Coast versus $2,849 in Melbourne – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Safety-wise, Gold Coast 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.