Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Hastings: $1,731 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
Learn more

Hastings Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index

Jump to prices

Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,731

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,731 per month in Hastings vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Hastings $1,731
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,526 per month in Hastings vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Hastings $2,526
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,322 per month in Hastings vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Hastings $3,322
Melbourne $5,650

Hastings is about 39% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hastings and Melbourne sit above the global median – Hastings by 28%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 NZ$19.55

$17.43 A$25.08

-36.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 NZ$98.5

$84.6 A$122

-34.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.00

$12.46 A$17.92

-27.37%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.41

$4.11 A$5.91

-25.55%

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

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$3.06 A$4.40

-38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NZ$2.41

$2.52 A$3.62

-46.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 NZ$7.67

$9.80 A$14.10

-55.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 NZ$9.75

$8.57 A$12.33

-35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 NZ$2.50

$1.48 A$2.14

-4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 NZ$2.28

$2.94 A$4.23

-56.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 NZ$3.05

$2.66 A$3.82

-35.34%

Eggs

$5.45 NZ$9.64

$5.54 A$7.97

-1.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.11

$10.51 A$15.13

-45.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.30 NZ$12.90

$9.65 A$13.89

-24.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.45 NZ$20.26

$15.22 A$21.91

-24.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.71

$3.99 A$5.75

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$3.02 A$4.34

-36.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NZ$5.42

$3.10 A$4.46

-1.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.84

$4.82 A$6.93

-31.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$3.03 A$4.36

-40.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 NZ$1.85

$2.44 A$3.52

-56.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$2.46 A$3.54

-41.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NZ$1.60

$1.63 A$2.34

-44.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.62 NZ$31.16

$44.07 A$63.4

-60.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 NZ$16.06

$12.70 A$18.28

-28.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 NZ$7.11

$5.54 A$7.97

-27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$5.23 A$7.52

-44.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 NZ$4.79

$3.74 A$5.38

-27.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.8 NZ$145

$138 A$198

-40.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 NZ$6.46

$4.51 A$6.50

-19.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 NZ$4.87

$1.36 A$1.96

102.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.32 NZ$58.9

$30.45 A$43.81

9.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.82

$1.47 A$2.12

8.84%

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

$27.0K NZ$47.7K

$29.0K A$41.7K

-7.06%

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

$22.7K NZ$40.1K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-14.43%

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

$190 NZ$335

$234 A$336

-18.84%

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

$36.05 NZ$63.8

$27.93 A$40.19

29.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 NZ$105

$55.7 A$80.2

6.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.98 NZ$49.48

$49.40 A$71.1

-43.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 NZ$17.55

$15.09 A$21.72

-34.19%

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

$679 NZ$1,200

$2,371 A$3,412

-71.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K NZ$38.9K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-27.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.05 NZ$81.4

$80.0 A$115

-42.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 NZ$66.7

$50.7 A$73.0

-25.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 NZ$168

$121 A$174

-21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 NZ$161

$130 A$188

-30.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 NZ$1,426

$1,759 A$2,531

-54.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 NZ$1,243

$1,390 A$2,000

-49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 NZ$2,687

$3,494 A$5,027

-56.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 NZ$1,997

$2,493 A$3,588

-54.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,051 NZ$8,933

$6,926 A$9,967

-27.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,061 NZ$5,414

$6,445 A$9,274

-52.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,589 NZ$2,810

$4,383 A$6,307

-63.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

5.9

15.76%

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

Last update for Hastings: 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

Hastings

$703 40.6%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 97.8% $687

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hastings

$285 16.5%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 11.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Hastings

$266 15.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 44.6% $118

Eating Out

Hastings

$198 11.4%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 58.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Hastings

$121 7%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 41.7% $51

Getting Around

Hastings

$110 6.4%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 48.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Hastings

$48 2.8%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 66.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $806 in Hastings versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 176% higher in Melbourne, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Hastings versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $384 – making Hastings the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hastings

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

2 h behind Hastings

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,100

5,031,195

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hastings Melbourne 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Hastings
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

Hastings vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne costs about 63% more than Hastings, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,596 per month in Hastings and $4,231 in Melbourne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hastings, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Melbourne, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Hastings and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hastings, where all-in costs run around $1,731, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Hastings it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hastings – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Hastings. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Melbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.