Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Griffith and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Griffith: $2,398 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Griffith
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Griffith Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Griffith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,398

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Griffith versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Griffith $2,398
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,648 in Griffith versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Griffith $3,648
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,898 in Griffith versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Griffith $4,898
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Griffith costs roughly 15% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Griffith 78% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.36 A$26.41

$17.43 A$25.08

5.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 A$131

$84.6 A$122

7.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 A$14.20

$12.46 A$17.92

-20.79%

Cappuccino

$4.26 A$6.13

$4.11 A$5.91

3.65%

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

$2.90 A$4.18

$3.06 A$4.40

-5.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 A$3.66

$2.52 A$3.62

0.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.01 A$11.52

$9.80 A$14.10

-18.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$12.03

$8.57 A$12.33

-2.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.42

$1.48 A$2.14

13.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 A$3.43

$2.94 A$4.23

-19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.20

$2.66 A$3.82

-16.54%

Eggs

$4.63 A$6.67

$5.54 A$7.97

-16.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 A$12.94

$10.51 A$15.13

-14.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 A$15.33

$9.65 A$13.89

10.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 A$23.41

$15.22 A$21.91

6.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 A$5.56

$3.99 A$5.75

-3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.48 A$5.00

$3.02 A$4.34

15.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$3.10 A$4.46

-8.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.04 A$7.25

$4.82 A$6.93

4.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.39

$3.03 A$4.36

-22.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$2.44 A$3.52

-1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.38

$2.46 A$3.54

-4.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 A$2.42

$1.63 A$2.34

3.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.50 A$62.6

$44.07 A$63.4

-1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.29 A$17.69

$12.70 A$18.28

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.71 A$6.77

$5.54 A$7.97

-14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$5.23 A$7.52

0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 A$4.02

$3.74 A$5.38

-25.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.7 A$110

$138 A$198

-44.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 A$5.10

$4.51 A$6.50

-21.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 A$2.33

$1.36 A$1.96

19.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.71 A$64.3

$30.45 A$43.81

46.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.86

$1.47 A$2.12

-12.24%

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

$30.7K A$44.2K

$29.0K A$41.7K

5.96%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$26.5K A$38.1K

9.36%

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

$213 A$307

$234 A$336

-8.84%

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

$28.19 A$40.57

$27.93 A$40.19

0.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.1

$55.7 A$80.2

-0.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 A$86.5

$49.40 A$71.1

21.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.56 A$22.40

$21.48 A$30.91

-27.56%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 A$19.88

$15.09 A$21.72

-8.42%

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

$2,259 A$3,251

$2,371 A$3,412

-4.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K A$26.6K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-38.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 A$122

$80.0 A$115

5.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.62 A$71.4

$50.7 A$73.0

-2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$121 A$174

-15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 A$174

$130 A$188

-7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 A$2,171

$1,759 A$2,531

-14.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 A$1,544

$1,390 A$2,000

-22.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 A$3,249

$3,494 A$5,027

-35.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 A$2,731

$2,493 A$3,588

-23.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,194 A$7,475

$6,926 A$9,967

-25.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,691 A$6,751

$6,445 A$9,274

-27.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 A$6,307

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.9

-1.02%

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

Last update for Griffith: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Griffith

$1.1K 44.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 29.5% $317

Groceries & Markets

Griffith

$374 15.6%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 2.7% $10

Eating Out

Griffith

$306 12.8%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 2.7% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Griffith

$297 12.4%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 6.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Griffith

$160 6.7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 7% $11

Getting Around

Griffith

$99 4.2%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 64.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Griffith

$88 3.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 9.3% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,508 in Griffith and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91.0 in Griffith vs $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $374 vs $384, with Griffith cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Griffith

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

Same time as Griffith

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,799

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

Griffith vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Griffith and Melbourne differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,398 vs $2,821 including rent). Griffith is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,596 in Griffith and $4,231 in Melbourne to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,508 in Griffith versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Griffith runs roughly 79% less than in Melbourne. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,259 in Griffith versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Griffith 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, Griffith 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 Griffith gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.