Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grafton and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Grafton: $2,560 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,560

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in Grafton versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Grafton $2,560
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,538 in Grafton versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Grafton $3,538
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,515 in Grafton versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Grafton $4,515
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Grafton costs roughly 10% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Grafton 88% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.86

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.1 A$104

$84.3 A$120

-13.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 A$16.21

$12.17 A$17.29

-6.24%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.94

$4.07 A$5.79

-14.74%

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

$2.74 A$3.89

$3.18 A$4.52

-13.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 A$3.36

$2.50 A$3.55

-5.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.58 A$12.19

$9.57 A$13.60

-10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.50 A$12.08

$8.25 A$11.72

3.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 A$1.62

$1.50 A$2.14

-24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 A$3.80

$2.97 A$4.22

-10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.28

$2.68 A$3.81

-13.81%

Eggs

$3.57 A$5.07

$5.45 A$7.75

-34.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 A$12.85

$10.71 A$15.22

-15.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 A$11.17

$10.05 A$14.28

-21.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 A$19.90

$15.00 A$21.31

-6.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.88

$4.07 A$5.78

-32.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 A$1.96

$3.14 A$4.46

-56.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.28

$3.12 A$4.43

-3.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 A$6.86

$4.73 A$6.72

2.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.00

$2.98 A$4.23

-29.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.26

$2.49 A$3.55

-8.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 A$2.44

$2.48 A$3.53

-30.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 A$1.55

$1.60 A$2.27

-31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.82 A$42.37

$44.65 A$63.4

-33.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$12.68 A$18.02

-0.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$7.75

$5.55 A$7.88

-1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 A$6.94

$5.18 A$7.37

-5.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 A$4.22

$3.84 A$5.45

-22.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 A$118

$139 A$197

-40.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 A$4.31

$4.36 A$6.19

-30.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 A$2.63

$1.37 A$1.94

35.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.17 A$58.5

$29.72 A$42.23

38.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.81

$1.49 A$2.11

-14.09%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$29.1K A$41.3K

2.04%

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

$24.4K A$34.7K

$25.7K A$36.5K

-4.93%

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

$163 A$232

$236 A$335

-30.64%

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

$26.20 A$37.23

$28.01 A$39.80

-6.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.97 A$71.0

$57.2 A$81.3

-12.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$78.8

$48.39 A$68.8

14.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.42 A$29.01

$21.46 A$30.50

-4.85%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 A$17.10

$17.67 A$25.10

-31.86%

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

$697 A$990

$2,461 A$3,497

-71.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,204 A$4,552

$29.7K A$42.2K

-89.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 A$121

$81.2 A$115

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.18 A$62.8

$49.28 A$70.0

-10.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 A$162

$120 A$170

-4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$156

$131 A$186

-16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 A$1,960

$1,703 A$2,419

-19.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 A$1,929

$1,409 A$2,002

-3.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,572 A$3,655

$3,496 A$4,967

-26.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 A$2,593

$2,527 A$3,590

-27.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,229 A$8,850

$7,978 A$11.3K

-21.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,510 A$6,408

$6,900 A$9,805

-34.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,467 A$3,506

$4,257 A$6,049

-42.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.9

-1.53%

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

Last update for Grafton: October 27, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grafton

$1.4K 53%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 3.7% $51

Groceries & Markets

Grafton

$321 12.6%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 20.2% $65

Eating Out

Grafton

$296 11.6%

Melbourne

$312 11% 5.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grafton

$240 9.4%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 33.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Grafton

$159 6.2%

Melbourne

$171 6% 8.1% $13

Getting Around

Grafton

$107 4.2%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 54.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Grafton

$79 3.1%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 5.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,379 in Grafton and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Grafton vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $386 per month, with Grafton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Grafton

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

Same time as Grafton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,255

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Grafton Melbourne 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Grafton
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

Grafton vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grafton and Melbourne differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,560 vs $2,849 including rent). Grafton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Grafton. 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: $1,379 in Grafton versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Grafton – a meal for two runs $73 versus $84 in Melbourne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Grafton 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 Grafton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.