Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipswich: $2,037 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,037

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,037 per month in Ipswich vs $2,821 in Melbourne, rent included.

Ipswich $2,037
Melbourne $2,821

A couple spends around $2,901 per month in Ipswich vs $4,235 in Melbourne, rent included.

Ipswich $2,901
Melbourne $4,235

A family of three spends $3,766 per month in Ipswich vs $5,650 in Melbourne, rent included.

Ipswich $3,766
Melbourne $5,650

Ipswich is about 28% cheaper than Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ipswich and Melbourne sit above the global median – Ipswich by 51%, Melbourne by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.50 A$45.33

$17.43 A$25.08

80.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 A$107

$84.6 A$122

-12.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 A$14.36

$12.46 A$17.92

-19.90%

Cappuccino

$4.54 A$6.53

$4.11 A$5.91

10.46%

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

$3.92 A$5.64

$3.06 A$4.40

28.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.60

$2.52 A$3.62

-0.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 A$13.01

$9.80 A$14.10

-7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 A$10.94

$8.57 A$12.33

-11.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.48 A$2.14

63.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 A$3.41

$2.94 A$4.23

-19.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$2.66 A$3.82

-16.54%

Eggs

$7.14 A$10.27

$5.54 A$7.97

28.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 A$10.53

$10.51 A$15.13

-30.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 A$11.86

$9.65 A$13.89

-14.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 A$20.22

$15.22 A$21.91

-7.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.86

$3.99 A$5.75

-15.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$3.02 A$4.34

-14.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.10

$3.10 A$4.46

-8.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.41

$4.82 A$6.93

-21.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 A$2.87

$3.03 A$4.36

-34.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.95

$2.44 A$3.52

-15.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 A$2.56

$1.63 A$2.34

9.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.60 A$64.2

$44.07 A$63.4

1.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.31 A$32.11

$12.70 A$18.28

75.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.21 A$8.93

$5.54 A$7.97

12.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 A$10.28

$5.23 A$7.52

36.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$3.74 A$5.38

-90.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 A$3.14

$4.51 A$6.50

-51.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.36 A$1.96

14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.12 A$52.0

$30.45 A$43.81

18.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.47 A$2.12

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

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

$90.9 A$131

$234 A$336

-61.12%

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

$30.70 A$44.18

$27.93 A$40.19

9.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 A$90.9

$55.7 A$80.2

13.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.21 A$24.76

$49.40 A$71.1

-65.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.48 A$30.91

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

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

$2,371 A$3,412

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K A$43.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 A$73.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$188

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 A$1,476

$1,759 A$2,531

-41.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 A$1,463

$1,390 A$2,000

-26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 A$2,038

$3,494 A$5,027

-59.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,018

$2,493 A$3,588

-43.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 A$9,967

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,445 A$9,274

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,146 A$5,966

$4,383 A$6,307

-5.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.98

5.9

1.36%

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

Last update for Ipswich: 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

Ipswich

$1K 49.9%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 36.7% $373

Eating Out

Ipswich

$423 20.8%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 25.6% $108

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$384 18.9%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$185 9.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 71.8% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$17 * 0.9%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 363% $62

Getting Around

Ipswich

$11 * 0.6%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 1332% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

- * 0%

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Ipswich 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 6% 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 $74.0 in Ipswich versus $85.0 in Melbourne. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $384 – making Ipswich the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

1 h ahead of Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,208

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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Between locations

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

From you

Ipswich
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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

Ipswich vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melbourne is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,055 per month in Ipswich 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 Ipswich, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Melbourne – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Ipswich and $85.0 in Melbourne. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ipswich, where all-in costs run around $2,037, than in Melbourne at $2,821. In Ipswich it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ipswich – 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 Ipswich. 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.