Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawkesbury City and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawkesbury City: $2,689 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Hawkesbury City
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Hawkesbury City Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Hawkesbury City

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,689

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Hawkesbury City versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Hawkesbury City $2,689
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,905 in Hawkesbury City versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Hawkesbury City $3,905
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,122 in Hawkesbury City versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Hawkesbury City $5,122
Melbourne $5,699

Living in Hawkesbury City costs roughly 6% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hawkesbury City 98% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.87 A$29.65

$17.50 A$24.86

19.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 A$130

$84.3 A$120

8.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 A$15.02

$12.17 A$17.29

-13.15%

Cappuccino

$4.16 A$5.91

$4.07 A$5.79

2.21%

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

$3.03 A$4.31

$3.18 A$4.52

-4.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.55

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 A$11.60

$9.57 A$13.60

-14.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 A$14.02

$8.25 A$11.72

19.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.20

$1.50 A$2.14

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 A$4.65

$2.97 A$4.22

10.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.54

$2.68 A$3.81

-7.09%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.58

$5.45 A$7.75

-2.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 A$18.30

$10.71 A$15.22

20.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 A$14.24

$10.05 A$14.28

-0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 A$21.93

$15.00 A$21.31

2.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.65

$4.07 A$5.78

-2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.62

$3.14 A$4.46

3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.86

$3.12 A$4.43

9.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 A$7.24

$4.73 A$6.72

7.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.56

$2.98 A$4.23

7.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.09

$2.49 A$3.55

15.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 A$3.67

$2.48 A$3.53

4.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.60 A$2.27

-15.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.11 A$64.1

$44.65 A$63.4

1.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.30 A$20.32

$12.68 A$18.02

12.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.53

$5.55 A$7.88

-17.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 A$7.88

$5.18 A$7.37

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.38

$3.84 A$5.45

-19.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$119

$139 A$197

-39.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 A$5.70

$4.36 A$6.19

-8.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.37 A$1.94

16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.30 A$61.5

$29.72 A$42.23

45.69%

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)

$27.6K A$39.2K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-5.22%

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

$26.1K A$37.0K

$25.7K A$36.5K

1.50%

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

$183 A$261

$236 A$335

-22.19%

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

$26.52 A$37.68

$28.01 A$39.80

-5.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$80.6

$57.2 A$81.3

-0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.31 A$70.1

$48.39 A$68.8

1.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.28 A$24.55

$21.46 A$30.50

-19.48%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 A$22.07

$17.67 A$25.10

-12.11%

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

$2,433 A$3,457

$2,461 A$3,497

-1.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.1K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-31.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 A$107

$81.2 A$115

-6.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 A$79.7

$49.28 A$70.0

13.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$155

$120 A$170

-8.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$188

$131 A$186

1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 A$1,863

$1,703 A$2,419

-23.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 A$1,900

$1,409 A$2,002

-5.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 A$3,135

$3,496 A$4,967

-36.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 A$2,877

$2,527 A$3,590

-19.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,113 A$8,686

$7,978 A$11.3K

-23.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,191 A$7,375

$6,900 A$9,805

-24.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,413 A$6,270

$4,257 A$6,049

3.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.9

0.85%

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

Last update for Hawkesbury City: 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

Hawkesbury City

$1.3K 49.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 5.3% $71

Groceries & Markets

Hawkesbury City

$398 14.8%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 2.8% $11

Eating Out

Hawkesbury City

$331 12.3%

Melbourne

$312 11% 5.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawkesbury City

$267 9.9%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 20.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Hawkesbury City

$168 6.2%

Melbourne

$171 6% 2.1% $3.5

Getting Around

Hawkesbury City

$108 4%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 53.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Hawkesbury City

$80 3%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 4.2% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,311 in Hawkesbury City and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hawkesbury City pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $91 in Hawkesbury City vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $386 per month, with Melbourne cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Hawkesbury City

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

Same time as Hawkesbury City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,353

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

On the map

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Between locations

Hawkesbury City Melbourne 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hawkesbury City
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

Hawkesbury City vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawkesbury City wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Melbourne. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hawkesbury City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Hawkesbury City, 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: $1,311 in Hawkesbury City versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Melbourne pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Melbourne – a meal for two runs $84 versus $91 in Hawkesbury City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Hawkesbury City 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, Hawkesbury City and Melbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.